Development and Function of Macrophages

Macrophages are innate immune phagocytic cells. Found in all solid organs, they also take part in the homeostasis of the tissue they inhabit. Recently, a lot of progress has been made in understanding their development, shedding light on the contribution of a haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) independent lineage to resident macrophages. Here we recapitulate the state of the knowledge on their origin and roles in development, and present their main phenotypic characteristics and functions in different contexts, from injury and infection to cancer.