In vivo dissection of macrophage function during tissue regeneration

Description

Abstract

Regeneration of tissue is intimately linked to function of the immune system. Although it is widely agreed that inflammatory cells are important for effective repair of a wide variety of tissue types, inappropriate or over-activation of inflammation will promote fibrosis and impair regeneration. Specifically, muscle repair requires macrophage function, but changes to macrophage function can prevent regeneration, implying that macrophages have a dynamic and highly regulated role in this process. To dissect the role of macrophages and inflammatory signalling during repair of muscle we have adopted an in vivo imaging approach to visualise cell behaviour during regeneration. We describe how macrophage responses to injury in zebrafish are regulated by NF-kB activity through a TNF-mediated regulation of recruitment. We explore how macrophages are required for modulating muscle stem cell (muSC) responses to injury and the molecules involved in this interaction and propose a model for how muSC proliferation, differentiation and migration are affected by inflammatory cells. If you wish to meet Robert, please contact Bénédicte Chazaud ([email protected]).