Macrophage Spatiotemporal Plasticity in Pulmonary Diseases: Decoding the Niche at Single-Cell Resolution

1

Macrophage populations in the lung are crucial for pulmonary gas exchange and host defense.
2

The classic M1/M2 dichotomy fails to capture the heterogeneity and plasticity of macrophage states in the lung.
3

Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial multi-omics have enhanced understanding of macrophage functional states in various lung diseases.
4

Persistent tissue injury and microenvironmental stress lead to remodeling of resident macrophage programs and differentiation of recruited macrophages.
5

Emerging strategies focus on context-specific reprogramming and niche modulation of macrophages rather than broad depletion.

Frontiers In Immunology

by Lin, Chenchen , Huang, Shaohui , Yang, Li , Wang, Ziqi , Zhou, Huanhuan , Zhang, Quncheng , Zhang, Xiaoju
June 2, 2026

1