Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (622 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Cells contained in the bone marrow including fat cells (see adipocytes); stromal cells; megakaryocytes; and the immediate precursors of most blood cells.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Bone Marrow Cell; Cell, Bone Marrow; Cells, Bone Marrow; Marrow Cell, Bone; Marrow Cells, Bone.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Cells; Hematopoietic System
- Narrower topics
- Endothelial Progenitor Cells; Granulocytes; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; Megakaryocytes; Monocytes; Reticulocytes
- See also
- Bone Marrow Examination
Related concepts
- Adipocytes
- Stromal Cells
- Megakaryocytes
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 205,985 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Bone Marrow Cells” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 22,426 of them (10.9%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 87,806 records.
Reviews account for 16,793 records (8.2%) and meta-analyses for 216. Randomized controlled trials number 1,432 (0.7%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 87,806 |
| 2000-2009 | 44,786 |
| 2010-2019 | 50,967 |
| 2020 onward | 22,426 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 16,793 | 8.2% |
| Meta-analyses | 216 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,432 | 0.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Bone Marrow Cells"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human haematopoietic stem cells remember inflammatory stress | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 8 | cc by PMID 42203882 · DOI · PMC13345971 |
| Plasma PFDN2 suppresses head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression by restricting CD64 on monocyte-driven inflammatory microenvironments | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 41884853 · DOI · PMC13008937 |
| Impaired IFNγ responsiveness of monocyte-derived lung cells limits immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42373669 · DOI · PMC13458731 |
Human haematopoietic stem cells remember inflammatory stress [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Inflammation activates blood cells, contributing to ageing and malignancy1-3.
- Closing excerpt
- Finally, HSC-iM program enrichment in circulating blood cells was associated with a heightened risk score for all-cause mortality in population cohort analyses, underscoring the clinical relevance of this newly identified HSC subset in characterizing heterogeneous health outcomes across a lifetime.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (203 words)
Inflammation activates blood cells, contributing to ageing and malignancy1-3. Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) survive a lifetime of infection to sustain life-long haematopoiesis1-9, but how human HSCs respond and adapt to inflammatory stress is largely unknown. Here, to empirically understand this adaptation, we developed xenograft inflammation-recovery models and performed single-cell multiomics on xenografted human HSCs. Two transcriptionally and epigenetically distinct HSC subsets were identified with one, termed HSC inflammatory memory (HSC-iM), retaining a molecular memory of previous inflammatory treatments. The HSC-iM subset exhibited quiescence and restrained haematopoietic output. Molecularly, the HSC-iM program was enriched in HSCs from adult and paediatric samples across conditions ranging from COVID-19 recovery, sickle cell disease, ageing and clonal haematopoiesis, establishing both the validity of our xenograft models and the physiological relevance of HSC-iM. Clonal haematopoiesis mutations in HSC-iM attenuated the effects of inflammatory stress by promoting HSC activation and differentiation. Moreover, transmission of the pro-inflammatory HSC-iM transcriptional program to differentiated immune progeny was demonstrated in xenograft and physiological settings. Finally, HSC-iM program enrichment in circulating blood cells was associated with a heightened risk score for all-cause mortality in population cohort analyses, underscoring the clinical relevance of this newly identified HSC subset in characterizing heterogeneous health outcomes across a lifetime.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42203882 · DOI · PMC13345971
Plasma PFDN2 suppresses head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression by restricting CD64 on monocyte-driven inflammatory microenvironments [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with poor prognosis and frequent recurrence.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsOur findings establish PFDN2 as a protective plasma protein that restrains HNSC progression by suppressing CD64 on monocyte-mediated inflammatory immune microenvironments, highlighting the PFDN2-CD64 axis as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (271 words)
BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with poor prognosis and frequent recurrence. Beyond tumor-intrinsic alterations, the immune microenvironment plays a decisive role in tumor initiation and progression. However, the causal contribution of systemic plasma proteins to immune regulation and HNSC susceptibility remains poorly defined.MethodsWe conducted a multi-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study integrating large-scale plasma proteomics, immune cell phenotypes, and HNSC. Mediation analyses were performed to identify immune cell phenotypes that potentially mediate protein-HNSC associations. The findings were further supported by immune infiltration analyses, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations and validation using clinical HNSC specimens, including single-cell RNA sequencing of collected samples, scTenifoldKnk virtual knockout modeling and immunofluorescence staining/histological assessment of HNSC tissues.ResultsAmong 4907 plasma proteins, MR identified prefoldin subunit 2 (PFDN2) as a protective factor against hypopharyngeal carcinoma, with no evidence of reverse causality. Immune phenotype MR analyses revealed CD64 on monocyte (FCGR1A+ monocytes) as the only immune trait causally linked to both PFDN2 and cancer risk. Analysis using multiple deconvolution algorithms demonstrated a consistent negative correlation between PFDN2 expression and monocyte infiltration. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed predominant PFDN2 expression in epithelial tumor cells, whereas FCGR1A expression was restricted to monocytes. Virtual knockout of PFDN2 selectively activated monocyte-associated inflammatory programs. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations supported a stable protein-protein interaction between PFDN2 and CD64. Tissue analyses further confirmed PFDN2 downregulation and CD64 upregulation in HNSC, correlating with advanced tumor grade and stage.ConclusionsOur findings establish PFDN2 as a protective plasma protein that restrains HNSC progression by suppressing CD64 on monocyte-mediated inflammatory immune microenvironments, highlighting the PFDN2-CD64 axis as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41884853 · DOI · PMC13008937
Impaired IFNγ responsiveness of monocyte-derived lung cells limits immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Lung mononuclear phagocyte subsets differ in their ability to restrict Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) during chronic infection, yet the mechanisms underlying this difference are not well defined.
- Closing excerpt
- Overcoming or bypassing impaired IFNγ responsiveness may guide the development of more effective tuberculosis vaccines and host-directed therapies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (148 words)
Lung mononuclear phagocyte subsets differ in their ability to restrict Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) during chronic infection, yet the mechanisms underlying this difference are not well defined. Here, we show that CD11clo monocyte-derived cells, the subset of lung cells that is most permissive for Mtb viability during chronic infection, express lower levels of interferon-gamma (IFNγ) signaling proteins, resulting in reduced responses to IFNγ compared to alveolar macrophages and CD11chi monocyte-derived cells. Moreover, type I IFN signaling suppresses IFNγ-mediated MHC class II expression, impairing antigen-specific CD4 T cell activation by CD11clo monocyte-derived cells. Importantly, prior immunity conferred by contained Mtb infection enhances IFNγ responsiveness of monocyte-derived cells, reducing bacterial burdens in lungs and within monocyte-derived cell subsets. Our findings indicate that heterogeneous IFNγ responsiveness is exploited by Mtb for persistence in vivo. Overcoming or bypassing impaired IFNγ responsiveness may guide the development of more effective tuberculosis vaccines and host-directed therapies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42373669 · DOI · PMC13458731
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in patients with solid tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Prognostic significance of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Monocyte-endothelial cell interactions in vascular and tissue remodeling [6]
- Research article Levels of Circulating Progenitor Cells, Cardiovascular Outcomes and Death: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Observational Studies [7]
- Research article Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in patients with gastric cancer: A meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Prognostic role of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: An up-to-date meta-analysis [9]
References
- Zeng AGX, Nagree MS, Jakobsen NA, Shah S, Varesi A, Kang JRW, et al.. Human haematopoietic stem cells remember inflammatory stress. . 2026. PMID 42203882 · DOI · PMC13345971
- Feng C, Li C, Lei D. Plasma PFDN2 suppresses head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression by restricting CD64 on monocyte-driven inflammatory microenvironments. . 2026. PMID 41884853 · DOI · PMC13008937
- Zheng W, Limberis JD, Howard ZP, Mohapatra A, Takagi E, Ernst JD. Impaired IFNγ responsiveness of monocyte-derived lung cells limits immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. . 2026. PMID 42373669 · DOI · PMC13458731
- Nishijima TF, Muss HB, Shachar SS, Tamura K, Takamatsu Y. Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in patients with solid tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Treat Rev. 2015. PMID 26481060 · DOI
- Tan D, Fu Y, Tong W, Li F. Prognostic significance of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2018. PMID 29807167 · DOI
- Medrano-Bosch M, Simón-Codina B, Jiménez W, Edelman ER, Melgar-Lesmes P. Monocyte-endothelial cell interactions in vascular and tissue remodeling. Front Immunol. 2023. PMID 37483594 · DOI · PMC10360188
- Rigato M, Avogaro A, Fadini GP. Levels of Circulating Progenitor Cells, Cardiovascular Outcomes and Death: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Observational Studies. Circ Res. 2016. PMID 27073015 · DOI
- Ma JY, Liu Q. Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in patients with gastric cancer: A meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2018. PMID 29329786 · DOI
- Wu Q, Hu T, Zheng E, Deng X, Wang Z. Prognostic role of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: An up-to-date meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017. PMID 28562566 · DOI · PMC5459731
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.