Abstract
Macrophage accumulation in transplanted organs has long been recognized as a feature of allograft rejection(1). Immunogenic monocytes infiltrate the allograft early after transplantation, mount a graft reactive response against the transplanted organ, and initiate organ rejection(2). Recent data suggest that suppressive macrophages facilitate successful long-term transplantation(3) and are required for the induction of transplantation tolerance(4). This suggests a multidimensional concept of macrophage ontogeny, activation, and function, which demands a new roadmap for the isolation and analysis of macrophage function(5). Due to the plasticity of macrophages, it is necessary to provide a methodology to isolate and characterize macrophages, depending on the tissue environment, and to define their functions according to different scenarios. Here, we describe a protocol for immune characterization of graft-infiltrating macrophages and the methods we used to functionally evaluate their capacity to inhibit CD8(+) T proliferation and to promote CD4(+)Foxp3(+) Treg expansion in vitro.