[Macrophage fusion: are somatic and cancer cells possible partners?].
The fusion of cells is a fundamental biological event that plays a central role in a variety of developmental and homeostatic processes. Macrophages are present in all tissues and can initiate interaction and fusion. The putative macrophage-fusion machinery is still poorly understood, but some of its components have been identified. Macrophages recognize each other as << self >> in order to fuse but some essential questions remain: do macrophages fuse with somatic cells to repair tissues and organs? Do macrophages fuse with tumor cells to trigger metastasis? Agnès Vignery discusses these novel and challenging ideas in this review.
Vignery
Agnès
A
Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, TMP534, 310 Cedar Street, New Haven CT 06510, USA. agnes.vignery@yale.edu
D002459:Cell Fusion; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012038:Regeneration