Primate Monocytes - CD14, CD16 - Ziegler-Heitbrock

Mapping monocyte subsets to identify cardiovascular risk.

Abstract

About 30 years ago, Passlick et al.1 firstly distinguished different subpopulations of monocytes, showing how the presence of particular markers on their plasma membrane could help in recognizing monocytes with different functions. Since then, a great number of studies have looked for molecular signatures on these blood cells in order to identify monocytes with a protective or deleterious role in several pathologies. The most common distinction, whose standardization has been approved by the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Immunological Societies,2 recognizes classical (CD14þþCD16-), intermediate (CD14+CD16+), and non-classical (CD14+CD16þþ) monocytes. Such a distinction is important for the specific roles that these cells play in pathophysiological conditions. For