Fetal origin confers radio-resistance on liver macrophages via p21cip1/WAF1

Kupffer cells (KCs), the liver resident macrophages are important innate immune sensors that respond to liver stress and may either stimulate or suppress immunity.[1] In contrast to most other leukocytes, tissue resident macrophages in brain (microglia) and epidermis (Langerhans cells) are highly radioresistant.[2,3] However in the liver only a subset of KCs resists lethal irradiation while the other subset is replaced by donor bone marrow monocyte-derived KCs (bm-KCs).[4,5] This radioresistant KC subset is long-lived and they are not recruited to foci of inflammation, and thus are termed sessile KCs.
Source: Journal of Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Source Type: research