Macrophage activation as an archetype of mitochondrial repurposing

Abstract

Mitochondria are metabolic organelles essential not only for energy transduction, but also a range of other functions such as biosynthesis, ion and metal homeostasis, maintenance of redox balance, and cell signaling. A hallmark example of how mitochondria can rebalance these processes to adjust cell function is observed in macrophages. These innate immune cells are responsible for a remarkable breadth of processes including pathogen elimination, antigen presentation, debris clearance, and wound healing. These diverse, polarized functions often include similarly disparate alterations in the metabolic phenotype associated with their execution. In this chapter, mitochondrial bioenergetics and signaling are viewed through the lens of macrophage polarization: both classical, pro-inflammatory activation and alternative, anti-inflammatory activation are associated with substantive changes to mitochondrial metabolism. Emphasis is placed on recent evidence that aims to clarify the essential - rather than associative - mitochondrial alterations, as well as accumulating data suggesting a degree of plasticity within the metabolic phenotypes that can support pro- and anti-inflammatory functions.