If a microorganism crosses an epithelial barrier and begins to replicate in the tissues of the host, in most cases, it is immediately recognized by resident phagocytic cells. The main classes of phagocytic cells in the innate immune system are macrophages and monocytes, granulocytes, and dendritic cells. Macrophages are the major phagocyte population resident in most normal tissues at homeostasis. They can arise either from progenitor cells that enter the tissues during embryonic development, and then self-renew at steady state during life, or from circulating monocytes. Studies suggest that the embryonic progenitors arise from either the fetal liver, the yolk sac, or an embryonic region near the dorsal aorta called the aorta–gonad–mesonephros (AGM), although the relative contribution of these origins is still debated. Macrophages are found in especially large numbers in connective tissue: for example, in the submucosal layer of the gastrointestinal tract; in the submucosal layer of the bronchi, and in the lung interstitium—the tissue and intercellular spaces around the air sacs (alveoli)—and in the alveoli themselves; along some blood
Pattern recognition by cells of the innate immune system.
vessels in the liver; and throughout the spleen, where they remove senescent blood cells. Macrophages in different tissues were historically given different names, for example, microglial cells in neural tissue and Kupffer cells in the liver. The self-renewal of these two types of cells is dependent on a cytokine called interleukin 34 (IL-34) that is produced in these tissues and acts on the same receptor as macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF).
During infection or inflammation, macrophages can also arise from monocytes that leave from the circulation to enter into tissues. Monocytes in both mouse and human develop in the bone marrow and circulate in the blood as two main populations. In humans, 90% of circulating monocytes are the ‘classical’ monocyte that expresses CD14, a co-receptor for a PRR described later, and function during infection by entering tissues and differentiating into activated inflammatory monocytes or macrophages. In mice, this monocyte population expresses high levels of the surface marker Ly6C. A smaller population are the ‘patrolling monocytes’ that roll along the endothelium rather than circulating freely in the blood. In humans, they express CD14 and CD16, a type of Fc receptor (FcγRIII; see Section 10-21), and are thought to survey for injury to the endothelium but do not differentiate into tissue macrophages. In mice, they express low levels of Ly6C.
The second major family of phagocytes comprises the granulocytes, which include neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. Of these, neutrophils have the greatest phagocytic activity and are the cells most immediately involved in innate immunity against infectious agents. Also called polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes (PMNs, or polys), they are short-lived cells that are abundant in the blood but are not present in healthy tissues. Macrophages and granulocytes have an important role in innate immunity because they can recognize, ingest, and destroy many pathogens without the aid of an adaptive immune response. Phagocytic cells that scavenge incoming pathogens represent an ancient mechanism of innate immunity, as they are found in both invertebrates and vertebrates.