Environmental oxygen tension affects phenotype in cultured bone marrow-derived macrophages

Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812 Submitted 7 November 2002 ; accepted in final form 1 October 2003 This study tested the hypothesis that the unique phenotype of alveolar macrophages (AM) is maintained through adaptation to the relatively high oxygen partial pressure (Po 2 ) of the lung, through modification of redox-sensitive transcription factors. BALB/c mouse bone marrowderived macrophages (BMC) were differentiated under different Po 2 and compared functionally to AM and peritoneal macrophages (PM). BMC differentiated in normoxia (Po 2 140 Torr, BMC high ) were similar to AM in having low phagocytic and antigen presenting cell (APC) activities. However, BMC grown in low oxygen tension as found in other tissues (