ArticleJournal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)2012
Efficient clearance of early apoptotic cells by human macrophages requires M2c polarization and MerTK induction.
Article in Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 398 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
398 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 630 citations in OpenAlex.
- Macrophage-associated kinase signaling in atherosclerosis - a systematic review.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Pooled it
- Regulation of differentiation and generation of osteoclasts in rheumatoid arthritis.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Pooled it
- M2-associated microglial states in oligodendrocyte regulation and white matter repair in vascular dementia.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- NLRC5-Deficient Macrophages Promote a Tumor-Permissive Phenotype via AXL- and MERTK-Mediated Efferocytosis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Article
- Review
- Activating the cellular scavenger: A bioactive hydrogel promotes diabetic wounds via plant exosome-like nanovesicles enhanced macrophage efferocytosis.Bioactive materials · 2026Article
- The inflammatory/fibrotic axis across organs: myelofibrosis as a model of reversibility.JCI insight · 2026Review
- Targeting inflammatory and angiogenic responses by small-molecule kinase inhibitors in a 3D macrophage-containing spheroid model of rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue.Arthritis research & therapy · 2026Article
- A canine macrophage cell line that can be polarized provides a model for canine macrophage differentiation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Advances in the study of macrophage polarization in intervertebral disc degeneration.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- Glucocorticoids induce a phagocytic C1Q+ macrophage phenotype primed for IFNγ-dependent CXCL9 secretion.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Revealing novel subtypes of synovial sarcoma through single cell transcriptomics.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2026Article
- CD204 regulates microglial/macrophage M1/M2 polarization and alleviates neuroinflammation following intracerebral hemorrhage.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Multifaceted regulation of immune cells in radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: from mechanistic insights to targeted therapies.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026Review
- RGX-019-MMAE inhibits leukemia progression by targeting MER proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (MERTK) in acute myeloid leukemia.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2026Article
- The ErbB-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, neratinib, has anti-inflammatory effects in multimorbidity by increasing macrophage efferocytosis via the upregulation of MerTK.Journal of inflammation (London, England) · 2026Article
- Myeloid HDAC3 deletion protects against traumatic optic injury.Cell death discovery · 2026Article
- Macrophage polarization in Sjögren's syndrome: from mechanisms to therapeutic translation.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Targeting the ISG15+STAT1+ monocyte-driven inflammatory storm with Fedratinib in traumatic lung injury via the JAK2/STAT3/PIM1 axis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Inflammation at the maternal-fetal interface: a perspective on interacting risk factors for preterm birth in sub-Saharan African women living with HIV.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
338 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) is a major macrophage apoptotic cell (AC) receptor. Its functional impairment promotes autoimmunity and atherosclerosis, whereas overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in cancer. However, little is known about mechanisms regulating MerTK expression in humans. We found that MerTK expression is heterogenous among macrophage subsets, being mostly restricted to anti-inflammatory M2c (CD14(+)CD16(+)CD163(+)CD204(+)CD206(+)CD209(-)) cells, differentiated by M-CSF or glucocorticoids. Small numbers of MerTK(+) "M2c-like" cells are also detectable among circulating CD14(bright)CD16(+) monocytes. MerTK expression levels adapt to changing immunologic environment, being suppressed in M1 and M2a macrophages and in dendritic cells. Remarkably, although glucocorticoid-induced differentiation is IL-10 independent, M-CSF-driven M2c polarization and related MerTK upregulation require IL-10. However, neither IL-10 alone nor TGF-β are sufficient to fully differentiate M2c (CD16(+)CD163(+)MerTK(+)) macrophages. M-CSF and IL-10, both released by T lymphocytes, may thus be required together to promote regulatory T cell-mediated induction of anti-inflammatory monocytes-macrophages. MerTK enables M2c macrophages to clear early ACs more efficiently than other macrophage subsets, and it mediates AC clearance by CD14(bright)CD16(+) monocytes. Moreover, M2c cells release Gas6, which in turn amplifies IL-10 secretion via MerTK. IL-10-dependent induction of the Gas6/MerTK pathway may, therefore, constitute a positive loop for M2c macrophage homeostasis and a critical checkpoint for maintenance of anti-inflammatory conditions. Our findings give new insight into human macrophage polarization and favor a central role for MerTK in regulation of macrophage functions. Eliciting M2c polarization can have therapeutic utility for diseases such as lupus, in which a defective AC clearance contributes to initiate and perpetuate the pathological process.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.