Axl and MerTK receptor tyrosine kinases maintain human macrophage efferocytic capacity in the presence of viral triggers.

ABSTRACT: The requirement to remove apoptotic cells is equally important in homeostasis and inflammatory disease. In particular, during viral infections large quantities of infected cells undergo apoptosis and need to be efficiently cleared by phagocytes to prevent secondary necrosis. Although specific roles of several apoptotic cell sensors, such as the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, MerTK) receptor family, have been characterized in mouse models, little is known about their regulation and involvement in apoptotic cell uptake (efferocytosis) by human macrophages under inflammatory conditions. We show that whereas pro-inflammatory stimuli consistently downregulated MerTK expression in human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs), stimuli indicative of a viral infection, interferon-α (IFN-α) and the TLR3 ligand poly(

SUBMITTER: Grabiec AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6001567 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature