Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1991 Oct 1;115(1):85–95. doi: 10.1083/jcb.115.1.85

The influence of afferent lymphatic vessel interruption on vascular addressin expression

PMCID: PMC2289917  PMID: 1918141

Abstract

Tissue-selective lymphocyte homing is directed in part by specialized vessels that define sites of lymphocyte exit from the blood. These vessels, the post capillary high endothelial venules (HEV), are found in organized lymphoid tissues, and at sites of chronic inflammation. Lymphocytes bearing specific receptors, called homing receptors, recognize and adhere to their putative ligands on high endothelial cells, the vascular addressins. After adhesion, lymphocytes enter organized lymphoid tissues by migrating through the endothelial cell wall. Cells and/or soluble factors arriving in lymph nodes by way of the afferent lymph supply have been implicated in the maintenance of HEV morphology and efficient lymphocyte homing. In the study reported here, we assessed the influence of afferent lymphatic vessel interruption on lymph node composition, organization of cellular elements; and on expression of vascular addressins. At 1 wk after occlusion of afferent lymphatic vessels, HEV became flat walled and expression of the peripheral lymph node addressin disappeared from the luminal aspect of most vessels, while being retained on the abluminal side. In addition, an HEV-specific differentiation marker, defined by mAb MECA-325, was undetectable at 7-d postocclusion. In vivo homing studies revealed that these modified vessels support minimal lymphocyte traffic from the blood. After occlusion, we observed dramatic changes in lymphocyte populations and at 7-d postsurgery, lymph nodes were populated predominantly by cells lacking the peripheral lymph node homing receptor LECAM-1. In addition, effects on nonlymphoid cells were observed: subcapsular sinus macrophages, defined by mAb MOMA-1, disappeared; and interdigitating dendritic cells, defined by mAb NLDC- 145, were dramatically reduced. These data reveal that functioning afferent lymphatics are centrally involved in maintaining normal lymph node homeostasis.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.6 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Butcher E. C., Scollay R. G., Weissman I. L. Lymphocyte adherence to high endothelial venules: characterization of a modified in vitro assay, and examination of the binding of syngeneic and allogeneic lymphocyte populations. J Immunol. 1979 Nov;123(5):1996–2003. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Coffman R. L. Surface antigen expression and immunoglobulin gene rearrangement during mouse pre-B cell development. Immunol Rev. 1982;69:5–23. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1983.tb00446.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Drayson M. T., Ford W. L. Afferent lymph and lymph borne cells: their influence on lymph node function. Immunobiology. 1984 Dec;168(3-5):362–379. doi: 10.1016/S0171-2985(84)80123-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Duijvestijn A. M., Schreiber A. B., Butcher E. C. Interferon-gamma regulates an antigen specific for endothelial cells involved in lymphocyte traffic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Dec;83(23):9114–9118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.23.9114. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fossum S., Smith M. E., Ford W. L. The recirculation of T and B lymphocytes in the athymic, nude rat. Scand J Immunol. 1983 Jun;17(6):551–557. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1983.tb00823.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gallatin W. M., Weissman I. L., Butcher E. C. A cell-surface molecule involved in organ-specific homing of lymphocytes. Nature. 1983 Jul 7;304(5921):30–34. doi: 10.1038/304030a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Goldschneider I., McGregor D. D. Migration of lymphocytes and thymocytes in the rat. I. The route of migration from blood to spleen and lymph nodes. J Exp Med. 1968 Jan 1;127(1):155–168. doi: 10.1084/jem.127.1.155. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gutman G. A., Weissman I. L. Homing properties of thymus-independent follicular lymphocytes. Transplantation. 1973 Dec;16(6):621–629. doi: 10.1097/00007890-197312000-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hendriks H. R., Duijvestijn A. M., Kraal G. Rapid decrease in lymphocyte adherence to high endothelial venules in lymph nodes deprived of afferent lymphatic vessels. Eur J Immunol. 1987 Dec;17(12):1691–1695. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830171203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hendriks H. R., Eestermans I. L. Disappearance and reappearance of high endothelial venules and immigrating lymphocytes in lymph nodes deprived of afferent lymphatic vessels: a possible regulatory role of macrophages in lymphocyte migration. Eur J Immunol. 1983 Aug;13(8):663–669. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830130811. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hendriks H. R. Occlusion of the lymph flow to rat popliteal lymph nodes for protracted periods. Z Versuchstierkd. 1978;20(3):105–112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Holzmann B., McIntyre B. W., Weissman I. L. Identification of a murine Peyer's patch--specific lymphocyte homing receptor as an integrin molecule with an alpha chain homologous to human VLA-4 alpha. Cell. 1989 Jan 13;56(1):37–46. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90981-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jalkanen S., Bargatze R. F., de los Toyos J., Butcher E. C. Lymphocyte recognition of high endothelium: antibodies to distinct epitopes of an 85-95-kD glycoprotein antigen differentially inhibit lymphocyte binding to lymph node, mucosal, or synovial endothelial cells. J Cell Biol. 1987 Aug;105(2):983–990. doi: 10.1083/jcb.105.2.983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kraal G., Breel M., Janse M., Bruin G. Langerhans' cells, veiled cells, and interdigitating cells in the mouse recognized by a monoclonal antibody. J Exp Med. 1986 Apr 1;163(4):981–997. doi: 10.1084/jem.163.4.981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kraal G., Janse M. Marginal metallophilic cells of the mouse spleen identified by a monoclonal antibody. Immunology. 1986 Aug;58(4):665–669. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ledbetter J. A., Herzenberg L. A. Xenogeneic monoclonal antibodies to mouse lymphoid differentiation antigens. Immunol Rev. 1979;47:63–90. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1979.tb00289.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mebius R. E., Hendriks H. R., Brevé J., Kraal G. Macrophages and the activity of high endothelial venules. The effect of interferon-gamma. Eur J Immunol. 1990 Jul;20(7):1615–1618. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830200732. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Picker L. J., De los Toyos J., Telen M. J., Haynes B. F., Butcher E. C. Monoclonal antibodies against the CD44 [In(Lu)-related p80], and Pgp-1 antigens in man recognize the Hermes class of lymphocyte homing receptors. J Immunol. 1989 Mar 15;142(6):2046–2051. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sprent J. Circulating T and B lymphocytes of the mouse. I. Migratory properties. Cell Immunol. 1973 Apr;7(1):10–39. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(73)90180-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stamper H. B., Jr, Woodruff J. J. Lymphocyte homing into lymph nodes: in vitro demonstration of the selective affinity of recirculating lymphocytes for high-endothelial venules. J Exp Med. 1976 Sep 1;144(3):828–833. doi: 10.1084/jem.144.3.828. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Streeter P. R., Berg E. L., Rouse B. T., Bargatze R. F., Butcher E. C. A tissue-specific endothelial cell molecule involved in lymphocyte homing. Nature. 1988 Jan 7;331(6151):41–46. doi: 10.1038/331041a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Streeter P. R., Rouse B. T., Butcher E. C. Immunohistologic and functional characterization of a vascular addressin involved in lymphocyte homing into peripheral lymph nodes. J Cell Biol. 1988 Nov;107(5):1853–1862. doi: 10.1083/jcb.107.5.1853. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Syrjänen K. J. Post-capillary venules of the lymphatic tissues in mice with special reference to the depletion of T-lymphocyte population. Exp Mol Pathol. 1978 Dec;29(3):291–302. doi: 10.1016/0014-4800(78)90072-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES