Journal
JOURNAL OF LEUKOCYTE BIOLOGY
Volume 104, Issue 4, Pages 757-766Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/JLB.3MR0318-086RR
Keywords
immune privilege; testis; testis macrophages
Categories
Funding
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [GRK 1871/2-1]
- Faculty of Medicine of the Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen
- collaborative research center [SFB 914]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Testicular macrophages (TM) comprise the largest immune cell population in the mammalian testis. They are characterized by a subdued proinflammatory response upon adequate stimulation, and a polarization toward the immunoregulatory and immunotolerant M2 phenotype. This enables them to play a relevant role in supporting the archetypical functions of the testis, namely spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis. During infection, the characteristic blunted immune response of TM reflects the need for a delicate balance between a sufficiently strong reaction to counteract invading pathogens, and the prevention of excessive proinflammatory cytokine levels with the potential to disturb or destroy spermatogenesis. Local microenvironmental factors that determine the special phenotype of TM have just begun to be unraveled, and are discussed in this review.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available