Macrophage Class A Scavenger Receptors – A Functional Perspective

As we approach the half century of the description of a macrophage clearance receptor for modified LDL by Brown and Goldstein, it is opportune to take stock of what we have learnt hitherto about the role of selected scavenger receptors in macrophage functions. Recent advances in genetic, temporal and spatial analysis of gene and protein expression have brought fresh opportunities to integrate and extend the present disparate observations in the literature. In this review, we focus on two Class A Scavenger Receptors, SR-A and MARCO, expressed almost exclusively by mononuclear phagocytes, and draw attention to their ongoing contributions to cell biology; we speculate on potential functions in macrophage pathophysiology and suggest possibilities for therapeutic manipulation.