Macrophages play a central role in the immune response. These cells either proliferate in response to, for example, growth factors or become activated in response to, for example, LPS and develop functional activities. Experiments carried out in mice showed that macrophage proliferation requires a short period of ERK phosphorylation, while an extended period is required for macrophage activation. The length of phosphorylation is controlled by the MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), a nuclear-localized dual-specificity phosphatase that dephosphorylates the MAPKs ERK, p38, and c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK). MKP-1 is induced in macrophages by growth factors, as well as by activators such as LPS, but with different kinetics; to achieve the different functional outcomes (proliferation versus activation), the inhibition of MKP-1 by cytokines such as IFN-γ blocks macrophage proliferation and induces activation. The data presented in this review show that this phosphatase is the switch between macrophage proliferation and activation.
Keywords: Inflammation r Innate immunity r Kinases r Macrophages r Signal transduction
IntroductionMonocytes/macrophages perform essential functions in homeostasis, infection, tissue repair, and resolution of inflammation [1][2][3]. These cells have pleiotropic functions in the body and not only do they play a key role in the immune system, but they are also critical for the homeostasis of a number of metabolic systems. For example, aged red blood cells display several modifications in their membranes that macrophages recognize and use to phagocytose and eliminate these cells. By doing so, macrophages obtain iron from hemoglobin and are able to release it at a later time point depending on the body's requirements. Thus, iron metabolism is controlled mostly by macrophages [4].Correspondence: Prof. Antonio Celada e-mail: acelada@ub.edu Concerning the immune system, macrophages participate in both innate and acquired immune responses. Therefore, these cells play a critical role in host-defense mechanisms. Monocytes originate from bone marrow undifferentiated stem cells in response to specific growth factors such as M-CSF, IL-3, and GM-CSF [5] and they reach all the tissues in the body via the blood system [6]. In response to the growth factors and cytokines with which they interact, macrophages may proliferate and differentiate to specific cell types depending on the tissue (in the brain to microglia; in the bone to osteoclasts; in the liver to Kupffer cells; in the skin to Langerhans cells; in the bone to bone marrow macrophages; and in the intestine to crypt macrophages), or they become activated and develop their functional activities.In 1976, the first hematopoietic growth factor, M-CSF (also referred to as CSF-1 at that time), was isolated, which facilitated studies on macrophage proliferation since M-CSF has the capacity to induce the growth of pure colonies of macrophages from bone marrow progenitors in vitro [7]. In 1985, it was found that M-CSF interacts with a tyrosine kinase receptor me...