Ontogenetic drivers of neutrophil heterogeneity.

Neutrophil development is a tightly regulated, multistep process involving stem cell commitment, differentiation, and maturation in the bone marrow. Chromatin remodeling, transcriptional networks, epigenetic reprogramming, metabolic adaptations, and structural changes collectively govern neutrophil production, shaping both maturation states and functional potential. Although these processes can be leveraged to adapt the neutrophil pool quantitatively and qualitatively during homeostasis or inflammatory stress, their dysregulation often drives disease progression. In this review, we examine how these ontogenetic factors specify neutrophil functions and underscore the significance of functional diversity across different maturation states.