Inflammation as a matchmaker: revisiting cell fusion

Sporadic fusion of bone-marrow-derived cells with those of developmentally unrelated structures following transplantation has previously been regarded solely as an artefact, leading to the misinterpretation that cells could ' transdifferentiate'. we now learn that heterotypic cell fusion of myelo-lymphoid cells with non-haematopoietic cells is enhanced during chronic inflammation, raising new questions about the biological significance of this controversial phenomenon.