Monocytes, key components of the immune system, are a heterogeneous
population comprised of classical monocytes (CD16) and non-classical
monocytes (CD16+
). Monocytes are short lived and undergo spontaneous
apoptosis, unless stimulated. Dysregulation of monocyte numbers contribute to the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases, yet the contribution
of each subset remains poorly characterized. Protein kinase C (PKC) family members are central to monocyte biology; however, their role in regulating lifespan and immune function of CD16 and CD16+ monocytes
has not been studied. Here, we evaluated the contribution of PKCd and
PKCe in the lifespan and immune response of both monocyte subsets. We
showed that CD16+ monocytes are more susceptible to spontaneous apoptosis because of the increased caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities accompanied
by higher kinase activity of PKCd. Silencing of PKCd reduced apoptosis
in both CD16+ and CD16 monocytes. CD16+ monocytes express significantly higher levels of PKCe and produce more tumour necrosis factor-a
in CD16+ compared with CD16 monocytes. Silencing of PKCe affected
the survival and tumour necrosis factor-a production. These findings
demonstrate a complex network with similar topography, yet unique regulatory characteristics controlling lifespan and immune response in each
monocyte subset, helping define subset-specific coordination programmes
controlling monocyte function.