Discovery of an unexpected function of blood immune cells: Their ability
to proliferate
Date:
March 17, 2023
Source:
University of Liege
Summary:
The ability of a cell to divide, to proliferate, is essential for
life and gives rise to the formation of complex organisms from a
single cell.
It also allows the replacement of used cells from a limited number
of 'stem' cells, which then proliferate and specialize. In cancer,
however, cell proliferation is no longer controlled and becomes
chaotic.
Researchers have discovered that, in a healthy individual, certain
blood immune cells, the monocytes, also have this ability to
proliferate, with the aim to replace tissue macrophages, which
are essential for the proper functioning of our body.
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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The ability of a cell to divide, to proliferate, is essential for life and gives rise to the formation of complex organisms from a single cell. It
also allows the replacement of used cells from a limited number of "stem" cells, which then proliferate and specialize. In cancer, however, cell proliferation is no longer controlled and becomes chaotic. Researchers
from the GIGA Institute at the University of Lie`ge have discovered that,
in a healthy individual, certain blood immune cells, the monocytes,
also have this ability to proliferate, with the aim to replace tissue macrophages, which are essential for the proper functioning of our
body. This study is published in Nature Immunology.
==========================================================================
The formation of complex multicellular organisms, which human beings
belong to, requires the generation of billions of cells from a limited
number of progenitor cells that have first proliferated and then acquire particular morphologies and functions while assembling into tissues
and organs. Our current knowledge indicates that most of the cells
that constitute a living organism arise from so-called "stem" cells,
which have divided by a process called mitosis in order to give rise
to a greater number of cells. These cells then stop proliferating to specialize, differentiate and form muscles, brain, bones, immune cells,
etc. When proliferation is no longer properly regulated, this can lead
to the development of various diseases, among which cancers represent
the most striking example. In a study published inNature Immunology,
Professor Thomas Marichal (Professor at ULie`ge, Welbio investigator
at the WEL Research Institute) and his team from the GIGA Institute
at ULie`ge discovered that this ability to proliferate is not merely
restricted to stem cells, but is also an as-yet-unknown function of
blood immune cells, the monocytes. Indeed, blood monocytes, previously considered as differentiated cells, are capable of proliferating and
generating a pool of monocytes in the tissues in order to give rise to macrophages, which are important immune cells that protect us against
microbes and support the proper functioning of our organs.
"This is a major fundamental discovery, which changes our conception
of the involvement of cell proliferation in the constitution and
maintenance of our immune system." explains Thomas Marichal, director of
the study. "Our finding also suggests that the information that can be
drawn from an enumeration of blood monocytes, classically carried out
during a blood test, would reflect only little of what is happening at
the level of the tissues, during 'infection or inflammation, for example,
since monocytes can proliferate when they enter tissues." He also adds: "Fortunately, this proliferation is extremely well controlled and does not
lead to a tumoral process. It has only one goal: to allow, as effectively
as possible, the replacement of immune cells that populate our tissues:
the macrophages."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Immune_System # Stem_Cells # Lymphoma # Brain_Tumor
o Plants_&_Animals
# Biotechnology # Biology # Developmental_Biology #
Molecular_Biology
* RELATED_TERMS
o Adult_stem_cell o Stem_cell o Embryonic_stem_cell
o Somatic_cell o Cell_(biology) o Necrosis o T_cell o
White_blood_cell
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Liege. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Domien Vanneste, Qiang Bai, Shakir Hasan, Wen Peng, Dimitri
Pirottin,
Joey Schyns, Pauline Mare'chal, Cecilia Ruscitti, Margot
Meunier, Zhaoyuan Liu, Ce'line Legrand, Laurence Fievez,
Florent Ginhoux, Coraline Radermecker, Fabrice Bureau, Thomas
Marichal. MafB-restricted local monocyte proliferation precedes
lung interstitial macrophage differentiation. Nature Immunology,
2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01468-3 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230317144955.htm
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