About this Research Topic
Monocytes are innate immune cells that are formed in the bone marrow before being released into the blood. They differentiate in the circulation with three main monocytes subsets identified in humans: classical, intermediate and nonclassical. While the subsets show functional differences, there is considerable heterogeneity within each subset, and they also exhibit phenotypic plasticity- responding to factors in their environment. These functional modifications highlight monocyte ability to play a role in homeostasis and disease, even before their migration and differentiation in the tissues. Notably, monocyte precursors (in the bone marrow) can also directly respond to their environment, predetermining the basal state of individuals’ monocytes. The degree to which the functional modifications are recapitulated during differentiation, or whether they enable the cell to mount a trained response upon exposure to other stimuli, is a growing area of investigation.
Acquisition of an innate immune memory (which has been termed ‘trained immunity’: TRIM) occurs through metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming. While such training has been shown to be beneficial in fighting infection, it can also have long lasting pathophysiological impacts that contribute to disease, such as cardiovascular disease, or hamper healthy aging.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring together the latest insights in monocyte classification, function, heterogeneity, and plasticity from across different disease states, infection, aging or in homeostasis.
We encourage the submission of Original Research, Methods/Protocols, Reviews/ Perspectives and Clinical Trial articles that cover recent advances in the following sub-topics:
• Classification of monocytes subsets.
• Monocyte ontogeny.
• Monocyte subset heterogeneity.
• Monocyte subset plasticity.
• Monocyte training (TRIM e.g. metabolic or epigenetic changes).
• Monocyte differentiation.
• Monocytes in disease, infection, aging.
• Monocytes as a diagnostic tool.
• Therapeutic strategies aimed at altering monocyte function.
Acquisition of an innate immune memory (which has been termed ‘trained immunity’: TRIM) occurs through metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming. While such training has been shown to be beneficial in fighting infection, it can also have long lasting pathophysiological impacts that contribute to disease, such as cardiovascular disease, or hamper healthy aging.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring together the latest insights in monocyte classification, function, heterogeneity, and plasticity from across different disease states, infection, aging or in homeostasis.
We encourage the submission of Original Research, Methods/Protocols, Reviews/ Perspectives and Clinical Trial articles that cover recent advances in the following sub-topics:
• Classification of monocytes subsets.
• Monocyte ontogeny.
• Monocyte subset heterogeneity.
• Monocyte subset plasticity.
• Monocyte training (TRIM e.g. metabolic or epigenetic changes).
• Monocyte differentiation.
• Monocytes in disease, infection, aging.
• Monocytes as a diagnostic tool.
• Therapeutic strategies aimed at altering monocyte function.
Keywords: Monocyte, homeostasis, disease, heterogeneity, immunometabolism, trained immunity, metabolism, epigenetics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
