ArticleNature cell biology2020
Tissue-resident ductal macrophages survey the mammary epithelium and facilitate tissue remodelling.
Article in Nature cell biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
113 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reverse Onco-Cardiology: What Is the Evidence for Breast Cancer? A Systematic Review of the Literature.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Pathophysiological roles of monocytes and macrophages in cancer.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2026Review
- Establishing a long-term versatile culture system for functional mouse mammary organoids from single cells.Nature protocols · 2026Review
- Motherhood's immune legacy reshapes the breast for lasting cancer defence.Immuno-oncology technology · 2026Article
- Pregnancy-induced tissue-resident memory-like T cells contribute to tumor control in breast cancer.Nature immunology · 2026Article
- Runx1 and Runx2 act in concert to suppress Wnt/β-catenin-driven mammary tumourigenesis.British journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Effects of exposure to ethinyl estradiol during pregnancy and lactation on the postinvolution mammary gland.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2026Article
- Dysregulated Efferocytosis and Immune Microenvironment in High Somatic Cell Count Dairy Cows.Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition · 2026Article
- Mammary gland development and function in maternal obesity and gestational diabetes.Current opinion in physiology · 2026Article
- Induction of senescence during postpartum mammary gland involution supports tissue remodeling and promotes postpartum tumorigenesis.Nature aging · 2026Article
- Host-derived interleukin-1α drives tumor immunosuppression by reprogramming tumor-associated myeloid cells.NPJ breast cancer · 2026Article
- Article
- The Metabolic-Immune Axis: Amino Acids and Immune Cell Dynamics in Mammary Gland Development and Remodeling.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
- The myeloid SRC family kinase HCK regulates breast cancer growth by activating tumor-associated macrophage-led invasion and inhibiting cytotoxic T cell activity.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Prolactin-Linked Plasma Cell-Macrophage Immune Phenotype in Synchronous Bilateral Plasma Cell Mastitis: A Two-Center Prediction Study with Tissue Correspondence.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Adenophages are an atypical macrophage population in exocrine glands sustained by ILC2-derived GM-CSF.Nature immunology · 2026Article
- Luminal hormone-responsive cells tune the regenerative remodeling of mammary glands in large mammals.Cell discovery · 2025Article
- Characterization of the immune landscape in healthy mouse prostate and during prostate cancer progression.Oncoimmunology · 2025Article
- The secretomes of bovine mammary epithelial cell subpopulations differentially modulate macrophage function.The veterinary quarterly · 2025Article
- Little women: the relevance and reliance on mouse models for mammary gland research and next steps for translation.Journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia · 2025Review
53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Macrophages are diverse immune cells that reside in all tissues. Although macrophages have been implicated in mammary-gland function, their diversity has not been fully addressed. By exploiting high-resolution three-dimensional imaging and flow cytometry, we identified a unique population of tissue-resident ductal macrophages that form a contiguous network between the luminal and basal layers of the epithelial tree throughout postnatal development. Ductal macrophages are long lived and constantly survey the epithelium through dendrite movement, revealed via advanced intravital imaging. Although initially originating from embryonic precursors, ductal macrophages derive from circulating monocytes as they expand during puberty. Moreover, they undergo proliferation in pregnancy to maintain complete coverage of the epithelium in lactation, when they are poised to phagocytose milk-producing cells post-lactation and facilitate remodelling. Interestingly, ductal macrophages strongly resemble mammary tumour macrophages and form a network that pervades the tumour. Thus, the mammary epithelium programs specialized resident macrophages in both physiological and tumorigenic contexts.
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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.