Fibroblastic reticular cells at the nexus of innate and adaptive immune responses

C Perez‐Shibayama, C Gil‐Cruz… - Immunological …, 2019 - Wiley Online Library
C Perez‐Shibayama, C Gil‐Cruz, B Ludewig
Immunological reviews, 2019Wiley Online Library
Lymphoid organs guarantee productive immune cell interactions through the establishment
of distinct microenvironmental niches that are built by fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC). These
specialized immune‐interacting fibroblasts coordinate the migration and positioning of
lymphoid and myeloid cells in lymphoid organs and provide essential survival and
differentiation factors during homeostasis and immune activation. In this review, we will
outline the current knowledge on FRC functions in secondary lymphoid organs such as …
Summary
Lymphoid organs guarantee productive immune cell interactions through the establishment of distinct microenvironmental niches that are built by fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC). These specialized immune‐interacting fibroblasts coordinate the migration and positioning of lymphoid and myeloid cells in lymphoid organs and provide essential survival and differentiation factors during homeostasis and immune activation. In this review, we will outline the current knowledge on FRC functions in secondary lymphoid organs such as lymph nodes, spleen and Peyer's patches and will discuss how FRCs contribute to the regulation of immune processes in fat‐associated lymphoid clusters. Moreover, recent evidence indicates that FRC critically impact immune regulatory processes, for example, through cytokine deprivation during immune activation or through fostering the induction of regulatory T cells. Finally, we highlight how different FRC subsets integrate innate immunological signals and molecular cues from immune cells to fulfill their function as nexus between innate and adaptive immune responses.
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