Macrophages are essential components of the innate immune system and have crucial roles in host defence, tissue homeostasis and inflammation. Embryonic macrophages are specialized populations of macrophages that arise early during development and contribute to tissue organization, immune system development and homeostasis. These cells originate from yolk sac and fetal liver progenitors and colonize various tissues during embryogenesis, becoming long-lived tissue-resident macrophages. In the embryo, macrophages are involved in a wide range of developmental processes, including the clearance of apoptotic cells, regulation of organogenesis and establishment of tissue integrity. They are also pivotal in the early establishment of immune tolerance and in the development of the fetal haematopoietic and immune systems. Plenty of literature covers the role of yolk sac-derived macrophages in adult tissues, whereas less is known about their functions in the embryo itself. This Review highlights

Noncoding regulatory elements in the human genome can control gene expression through distinct mechanisms, including acting as enhancers, silencers, or topological elements. However, we lack tools to ...

Microglia clear intraneuronal α-synuclein aggregates.

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Inspired by bacterial biology, the Gladstone-developed “Detectron” opens up new possibilities for disease research and potentially treatments.

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Akbari et al. investigated the mechanisms of linker histone H1.0 loading onto nucleosomes. H1.0 directly binds nucleosomes and DNA, while DNA-bound H1.0 is mobile but does not load onto nucleosomes. Linker histone chaperones facilitate H1.0 loading through enhancing nucleosome binding, increasing H1.0 mobility, and enabling H1.0 loading through DNA sliding.

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ACS Central Science invites authors to share compelling stories that trace research from fundamental insight into real world application.

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Following on from its success in eradicating malignant B cells in cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been extended to treat autoimmune diseases. This Review discusses the precl...

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Chinese researchers are testing DREADDs, a gene therapy to turn down neuronal activity, in the clinic