Cited by 762Autophagy in Disease and TherapyPhagocytosis and Immune RegulationCardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling

A Network of Macrophages Supports Mitochondrial Homeostasis in the Heart

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Nicolás-Ávila, José A., Lechuga-Vieco, Ana V., Esteban-Martínez, Lorena, Sánchez-Díaz, María, Díaz-García, Elena, Santiago, Demetrio J., Rubio-Ponce, Andrea, Li, Jackson LiangYao +35 more·2020·Cell

Abstract

Cardiomyocytes are subjected to the intense mechanical stress and metabolic demands of the beating heart. It is unclear whether these cells, which are long-lived and rarely renew, manage to preserve homeostasis on their own. While analyzing macrophages lodged within the healthy myocardium, we discovered that they actively took up material, including mitochondria, derived from cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes ejected dysfunctional mitochondria and other cargo in dedicated membranous particles reminiscent of neural exophers, through a process driven by the cardiomyocyte's autophagy machinery that was enhanced during cardiac stress. Depletion of cardiac macrophages or deficiency in the phagocytic receptor Mertk resulted in defective elimination of mitochondria from the myocardial tissue, activation of the inflammasome, impaired autophagy, accumulation of anomalous mitochondria in cardiomyocytes, metabolic alterations, and ventricular dysfunction. Thus, we identify an immune-parenchymal pair in the murine heart that enables transfer of unfit material to preserve metabolic stability and organ function. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.031

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  • Under physiological conditions, crosstalk between cardiac macrophages and cardiomyocytes is vital for maintaining electrical stability and metabolic homeostasis through the efferocytosis of damaged mitochondria.

    “Under physiological conditions, this crosstalk is vital for maintaining electrical stability and metabolic homeostasis through the efferocytosis of damaged mitochondria [11,12].”

    From Cardiac Macrophages Exhibit Dynamic Heterogeneity and Functional Specialization During Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis. (2026) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Summary (p. 2) reports that cardiac macrophages take up cardiomyocyte-derived mitochondria and help preserve metabolic stability in the murine heart. The Discussion (p. 13) treats electrical conductance as a separate, previously reported role; it does not establish that disposal of damaged mitochondria maintains electrical stability. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Impaired macrophage-mediated clearance of damaged mitochondria can exacerbate cardiomyocyte dysfunction.

    “This aligns with previous reports indicating that impaired macrophage-mediated clearance of damaged mitochondria can exacerbate cardiomyocyte dysfunction [12].”

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Authors
Nicolás-Ávila, J. A., Lechuga-Vieco, A. V., Esteban-Martínez, L., Sánchez-Díaz, M., Díaz-García, E., Santiago, D. J., Rubio-Ponce, A., Li, J. L., Balachander, A., Quintana, J. A., Martínez-de-Mena, R., Castejón-Vega, B., Pun-García, A., Través, P. G., Bonzón-Kulichenko, E., García-Marqués, F., Cussó, L., A-González, N., González-Guerra, A., Roche-Molina, M., Martin-Salamanca, S., Crainiciuc, G., Guzmán, G., Larrazabal, J., Herrero-Galán, E., Alegre-Cebollada, J., Lemke, G., Rothlin, C. V., Jimenez-Borreguero, L. J., Reyes, G., Castrillo, A., Desco, M., Muñoz-Cánoves, P., Ibáñez, B., Torres, M., Ng, L. G., Priori, S. G., Bueno, H., Vázquez, J., Cordero, M. D., Bernal, J. A., Enríquez, J. A., & Hidalgo, A.
Affiliations
  • Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (ES)
  • Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG)
  • Salk Institute for Biological Studies (US)
  • University of Münster (DE)
  • Hospital Universitario La Paz (ES)
  • Yale University (US)
  • Hospital Universitario de La Princesa (ES)
  • Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ES)
  • University of Pavia (IT)
  • Universidad Europea del Atlántico (ES)
Corresponding author
Hidalgo, Andrés
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-10
Volume
183
Issue
1
Pages
94-109.e23
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3086660393
Cited by
762
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 136 · 2025: 144 · 2024: 147 · 2023: 131 · 2022: 101 · 2021: 89 · 2020: 14
FWCI
60.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion)
  • ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • RUIdeRA - Institutional University Repository (University of Castilla-La Mancha) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III
  • Cordis (UPGRADE-H2020-825825)
  • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (RYC-2014-16604)
  • Association Française contre les Myopathies
  • “la Caixa” Foundation (LaCaixa-HR17-00040)
  • Fundació la Marató de TV3 (HR17_00527, 120/C/2015-20153032)
  • European Research Council (ERC-COG-2018-ID, 819775, ERC-ADG-2014-ID:669387, ERC-741538)
  • Fondation Leducq (TNE-17CVD04, TNE-18CVD04)
  • Human Frontier Science Program (IPT17/0019-ISCIII-SGEFI/ERDF, RGP0016/2018)
  • Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (600396)
  • Agency for Science, Technology and Research (BFU2016-75144-R)
  • Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2015-71878-REDT, SAF2014-56819-R, FJCI-2016-29384, SAF2015-65633-R, PGC2018-096486-B-I00, BIO2015-67580-P, SAF2015-65607-R, BES-2016-076635, SVP-2014-068595, RD16/0011/0019, PGC2018-097019-B-I00, RTI2018-095497-B-I00, SVP-2013-068089, BIO2017-83640-P, RTI2018-099357-B-I00, SEV-2015-0505, RTI2018-096068)
  • Muscular Dystrophy Association (ERC-741538)
  • Comunidad de Madrid (S2017/BMD-3875, S2017/BMD-3867 RENIM-CM)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling
Keywords
cardiac macrophages, mitochondrial homeostasis, cardiomyocytes, mitochondrial transfer, autophagy, MERTK, phagocytosis, inflammasome, cardiac stress, ventricular dysfunction, myocardium
MeSH terms
c-Mer Tyrosine Kinase, Aged, Animals, Autophagy, Female, Heart, Homeostasis, Humans, Macrophages, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Middle Aged, Mitochondria, Myocardial Infarction, Myocardium, Phagocytosis, Apoptosis, Reactive Oxygen Species, Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases, Myocytes, Cardiac, Mice

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