Mononuclear phagocyte diversity in mucosal tissues

Mucosal tissues contain a diverse array of mononuclear phagocytes including monocytes, tissue resident macrophages and subsets of conventional dendritic cells that collectively are believed to play critical roles in mucosal homeostasis, immunity and inflammation. Efforts in recent years have uncovered some of the complexities of these cell populations, including the definition of numerous cellular subsets with different ontogenies and unique functionalities in steady-state and inflammatory conditions. These and future studies in this area are likely to be of central importance not only to our understanding of how mucosal immune responses are initiated and regulated, but also to the development of novel therapies and mucosal vaccines.

This online-only Web Focus includes a compilation of some of the original research and review articles published in Mucosal Immunology over the past three years that have enhanced our understanding of this field.