Abstract
To track drainage of lymph-borne small and large antigens (Ags) into the peripheral lymph nodes and subsequent encounter by B cells and follicular dendritic cells, we used the approach of multiphoton intravital microscopy. We find a system of conduits that extend into the follicles and mediate delivery of small antigens to cognate B cells and follicular dendritic cells. The follicular conduits provide an efficient and rapid mechanism for delivery of small antigens and chemokines such as CXCL13 to B cells that directly contact the conduits. By contrast, large antigens were bound by subcapsular sinus macrophages and subsequently transferred to follicular B cells as previously reported. In summary, the findings identify a unique pathway for the channeling of small lymph-borne antigens and chemoattractants from the subcapsular sinus directly to the B cell follicles. This pathway could be used for enhancing delivery of vaccines or small molecules for improvement of humoral immunity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Immunity |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 264-276 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| ISSN | 1074-7613 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20.02.2009 |
Funding
We wish to thank D. Vargas for exceptional animal care, R. Yeamans for technical assistance, and N. Barteneva at the IDI Flow and Imaging Cytometry Core facility and M. Ericsson at the Harvard Medical School EM Facility for technical assistance. R.R. is supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship (008873). M.C.C. is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (AI 039246).
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Center for Infection and Inflammation Research (ZIEL)
