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Differentiation of Circulating Monocytes into Fibroblast-Like Cells

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Book cover Stem Cell Mobilization

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 904))

Abstract

Monocytes are produced in the bone marrow and enter the blood. They generally leave the blood and enter a tissue, and then become macrophages. In healing wounds, circulating monocytes also enter the tissue and instead of becoming macrophages, can differentiate into fibroblast-like cells called fibrocytes. Fibrocytes are also present in the lesions associated with fibrosing diseases such as congestive heart failure, end stage kidney disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. We have found that culturing blood monocytes, or white blood cell preparations containing monocytes, in serum-free media permits some of the monocytes to differentiate into fibrocytes within 5 days, and that this differentiation is inhibited by the blood plasma protein serum amyloid P.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Nehemiah Cox and Jeff Crawford for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by NIH grant HL083029.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Darrell Pilling & Richard H. Gomer

Authors
  1. Darrell Pilling
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  2. Richard H. Gomer
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Correspondence to Darrell Pilling .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Science Center at Houston, Inst. Molecular Medicine, University of Texas, Pressler Street 1825, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Mikhail G. Kolonin

  2. Health Science Center, Houston, Inst. Molecular Medicine, University of Texas, Pressler Street 1825, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Paul J. Simmons

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Pilling, D., Gomer, R.H. (2012). Differentiation of Circulating Monocytes into Fibroblast-Like Cells. In: Kolonin, M., Simmons, P. (eds) Stem Cell Mobilization. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 904. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-943-3_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-943-3_16

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-942-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-943-3

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