The strange case of nurse cells: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Abstract

In developmental biology and physiology of reproduction the term nurse cells refers to cells which provide feeding, support, and stability to their neighboring cells. The notion of nurse cell is used in several unrelated ways in various scientific fields, such as parasitology, mycology, invertebrate and vertebrate development.In this review, we focus on "nurse cells" described to support hemopoietic cell differentiation which can act as a double-edged sword in normal versus pathological conditions. Particularly, the nurturing capacity of stromal cells to assist the differentiation and survival of normal cells within both the bone marrow or the synovium can turn to detrimental effects. In the later cases, nurse cells induce and maintain inflammation and rheumatological disease. Similarly, the anti-tumoral potential of myeloid cells might be switched to tumor promoting function in most cancers and leukemia, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia. A better understanding of the interactions between pathological cells and supporting cells could inspire new drug combination strategies, translational studies, and novel therapeutic options in clinical trials.