Purification of dendritic cell and macrophage subsets from the normal mouse small intestine.

Mononuclear phagocytes are essential for protecting against pathogens breaching the intestinal mucosa and maintaining the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract. The mononuclear phagocyte family of the healthy intestine is represented by a small population of hematopoietic cells including dendritic cells and macrophages. Distinct mononuclear phagocyte subsets strategically accumulate within and below the mucosal epithelium and are distributed in the submucosa and muscularis externa. Shaped by its unique microenvironment, each mononuclear phagocyte subset is developmentally and functionally unique and phenotypically distinct. Here we summarize our recent advances on identifying and purifying various intestinal mononuclear phagocyte subsets by flow cytometry in the context of their developmental properties and location within the intestinal tissue.