Akira's group (Host Defense) identified an atypical monocyte and committed progenitor involved in fibrosis.
The group termed the identified monocytes Segregated nucleus Atypical Monocytes (SatM). They found that SatM have a bi-lobed segmented nuclear shape and many cytoplasmic granules, and are regulated by C/EBPβ. The development of fibrosis was prevented in chimeric mice with C/EBPβ knockout hematopoietic cells, indicating that SatM are critical for fibrosis. They also identified SatM progenitor cells, and their results show that C/EBPβ licences differentiation of SatM from their committed progenitor.
Given that 'disorder-specific monocyte/macrophage subtypes' corresponding to certain diseases have been identified, investigated and regulated, it may also now be possible to develop novel, more specific therapeutic targets with fewer side effects.

Contact:
Shizuo Akira
Host Defense
Immunology Frontier Research Center (WPI-IFReC), Osaka University