Professional phagocytes (such as macrophages) and non-professional phagocytes (such as epithelial cells) clear billions of apoptotic cells and particles on a daily basis. Since these phagocytes reside in proximity in most tissues, whether cross-communication exists between them during cell clearance, and how this might impact inflammation are not known. Here, we show that macrophages, via the release of a soluble growth factor and microvesicles, redirect the type of particles engulfed by non-professional phagocytes and influence their inflammatory response. During apoptotic cell engulfment or in response to inflammation-associated cytokines, macrophages released insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The binding of IGF-1 to its receptor on non-professional phagocytes redirected their phagocytosis, such that uptake of larger apoptotic cells was dampened while engulfment of microvesicles was enhanced. Macrophages were refractory to this IGF-1 mediated engulfment modulation. Macrophages also released microvesicles, whose uptake by epithelial cells, enhanced by IGF-1, led to decreased inflammatory responses by epithelial cells. Consistent with these observations, deletion of IGF-1 receptor in airway epithelial cells led to exacerbated lung inflammation after allergen exposure. These genetic and functional studies reveal a novel IGF-1 and microvesicle-dependent communication between macrophages and epithelial cells that can critically influence the magnitude of tissue inflammation in vivo.
