Trends Immunol. 2026 Sep 16:S1471-4906(26)00230-9. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.08.014. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
The immune system balances protective immunity against pathogens with tolerance to self and selected foreign antigens. Emerging evidence identifies erythropoietin (EPO) as a systemic immunoregulatory signal that links physiological stress to immune adaptation. Beyond its canonical role in erythropoiesis, EPO-EPO receptor (EPOR) signaling reprograms specialized myeloid cells, including macrophages and type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s), promoting efferocytosis, inflammatory restraint, and maturation-associated cDC1 fate. Through these mechanisms, EPO shapes antigen-specific T-cell responses across transplantation and cancer. We propose that the EPO-EPOR axis functions as a systemic regulator of immune adaptation through myeloid-cellprogramming.
PMID:42749579 | DOI:10.1016/j.it.2026.08.014