Development and Immunological Function of Lymph Node Stromal Cells

Natalia Barbara Pikor, Hung-Wei Cheng, Lucas Onder, Burkhard Ludewig
2021 Journal of Immunology  
Stromal cells have for a long time been viewed as structural cells that support distinct compartments within lymphoid tissues and little more. Instead, an active cross-talk between endothelial and fibroblastic stromal cells drives the maturation of lymphoid niches, a relationship that is recapitulated during lymph node organogenesis, steady-state conditions, and following inflammation. In this review, we go over recent advances in genetic models and high-resolution transcriptomic analyses that
more » ... ave propelled the finer resolution of the stromal cell infrastructure of lymph nodes, revealing that the distinct subsets are strategically positioned to deliver a catered mixture of niche factors to interacting immune cell populations. Moreover, we discuss how changes in the activation state of poised stromal cell-underpinned niches rather than on-demand differentiation of new stromal cell subsets govern the efficient interaction of Ag, APC, and cognate B and T lymphocytes during adaptive immune responses.
doi:10.4049/jimmunol.2000914 pmid:33397739 fatcat:bcvxkopzhnd7fafbyieppnt4mm