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The Discovery and Prospect of Manganese (Mn2+)-Dependent Immunomodulation


WEI Xiaoming1,2, WANG Chenguang1,2, ZHANG Rui1,2, JIANG Zhengfan1,2*

(1Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Peking University,Beijing 100871, China; 2Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)
Abstract:

Metals are essential components of all living beings. The progress of metalloimmunology has been remarkable in recent years, in which the breadth and depth are being explored rapidly. Manganese is a promising member in the field of metalloimmunology. Increasing studies indicate that manganese (Mn2+) plays an indispensable role in the immune system with its actual immunomodulatory effects vastly underestimated. Available research results show that manganese (Mn2+) not only functions in nutritional immunity, but also in innate immunity and so on. This review introduces manganese metalloimmunology in detail, analyses Mn2+-dependent immunomodulation in multi-aspects, proposes a working model for Mn2+ acting as a new member of DAMPs (danger-associated molecular patterns), and discusses the future immunomodulatory application of Mn2+.