Kupffer cells (KCs), the prenatally seeded macrophages of the liver, show unique functional and immunophenotypic features among tissue-resident macrophages. They are considered as terminally differentiated with negligible cellular postnatal input. Their adaptability in disease is attributed to recruited, monocyte-derived KCs. Here, we explored KC plasticity and the impact of their ontogeny in persisting mycobacterial infections, which primarily target macrophages.
Kupffer cells (KCs), the prenatally seeded macrophages of the liver, show unique functional and immunophenotypic features among tissue-resident macrophages. They are considered as terminally differentiated with negligible cellular postnatal input. Their adaptability in disease is attributed to recruited, monocyte-derived KCs. Here, we explored KC plasticity and the impact of their ontogeny in persisting mycobacterial infections, which primarily target macrophages.