Specialized phagocytes are a newly appreciated classification of phagocyte that currently encompasses Sertoli cells (SCs) of the testes and the retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) of the retina. While these cells support very different tissues, they have a striking degree of similarity both as phagocytes and in ways that go beyond cell clearance. The clearance of apoptotic germ cells, cell debris, and used photoreceptor outer segments are critical functions of these cells, and the unique nature of their clearance events make specialized phagocytes uniquely suited for studying the larger implications of cell clearance in vivo. The shared functions of specialized phagocytes could provide novel insights into how phagocytosis impacts tissue homeostasis and immune modulation. In this review, we examine the remarkable similarities between SCs and RPE as specialized phagocytes and the physiological effects of cell clearance within a tissue.

专门的吞噬细胞是一种新发现的吞噬细胞分类，目前涵盖了睾丸的支持细胞（SCs）和视网膜的视网膜色素上皮细胞（RPE）。尽管这些细胞支持截然不同的组织，但它们与吞噬细胞的相似性和超出细胞清除率的方式都具有惊人的相似性。凋亡性生殖细胞，细胞碎片和感光细胞外段的清除是这些细胞的关键功能，其清除事件的独特性质使专门的吞噬细胞特别适合研究体内细胞清除的更大影响。专业吞噬细胞的共有功能可以为吞噬作用如何影响组织动态平衡和免疫调节提供新的见解。在这篇综述中，我们研究了作为特异吞噬细胞的SC和RPE之间的显着相似性以及组织内细胞清除的生理效应。