AUTHOR=Heidbreder Karin , Sommer Katrin , Wiendl Maximilian , Müller Tanja M. , Atreya Imke , Hildner Kai , Neurath Markus F. , Zundler Sebastian 

TITLE=Nr4a1-dependent non-classical monocytes are important for macrophage-mediated wound healing in the large intestine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1040775

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.1040775

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=Macrophages play an important role in intestinal wound healing. However, the trajectories from circulating monocytes to gut macrophages are incompletely understood. 
Taking advantage of mice depleted for non-classical monocytes due to deficiency for the transcription factor Nr4a1, we aimed to address the relevance of non-classical monocytes for large intestinal wound healing.
We show that wound healing in Nr4a1-deficient mice is substantially delayed and associated with reduced peri-lesional presence of macrophages with a wound healing phenotype.
Thus, our data suggest that non-classical monocytes are biased towards wound healing macrophages. Our insights might help to understand, how targeting monocyte recruitment to the intestine can be used to modulate intestinal macrophage functions.