# THE ONTOGENY OF MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTES

> **NIH NIH R01** · ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · 1990 · $202,969

## Abstract

The long-range goal of this program is to define the immunobiology of
the macrophage.  Central to achieving this goal is to understand the
basis for macrophage functional and phenotypic diversity.  The immediate
object of the proposed work is to determine whether macrophage diversity
is the result of the differentiation of a single lineage of cells or,
rather, is clonal.  I will exploit our ability to clone and expand
macrophages from individual progenitors to populations containing
sufficient numbers of cells for phenotypic and functional analyses.
Using the mouse spleen as the experimental model, I will determine (i)
if different immunologic accessory cell functions reside in different
clones of macrophages, (ii) if it is possible to immortalize cloned
populations of splenic macrophages while retaining their distinct
functional properties, (iii) if selected homeostatic and host-defense
functions of splenic macrophages reside in distinct subpopulations of
cells, (iv) if it is possible to associate macrophage surface phenotype
with macrophage function, (v) the location in the spleen, of
phenotypically distinct macrophage populations and (vi) if phenotypic
and functionally distinct macrophage populations are linearly
independent.

In addition to their roles in microbial and neoplastic host-defense as
well as in homeostasis, macrophages are now recognized as having
important pathologic activities in numerous human inflammatory diseases,
in arteriosclerosis and, possibly, multiple sclerosis.  Furthermore,
monocytes/macrophages appear to be important in latent infection with
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and may be responsible for the in
vivo dissemination of the virus to, for example, the central nervous
system.  If these and other activities of macrophages are limited to
distinct subpopulations of cells, then the information gained from this
study may make it possible to selectively manipulate them to therapeutic
advantage.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3127587
- **Project number:** 5R01AI017979-08
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
- **SAM.gov UEI:** JL4JHE9SDRR3
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM S WALKER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $202,969
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-07-01 → 1994-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3127587

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3127587, THE ONTOGENY OF MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTES (5R01AI017979-08). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3127587. Licensed CC0.

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