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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Isolation of Murine Lymph Node Stromal Cells
Published on: August 19, 2014
Lymph node stromal cells support dendritic cell-induced gut-homing of T cells
Rosalie Molenaar1, Mascha Greuter, Arnold P J van der Marel
1Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, VU (Vrije Universiteit) University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
T cells are imprinted to express tissue-specific homing receptors upon activation in tissue-draining lymph nodes, resulting in their migration to the site of Ag entry. Expression of gut-homing molecules alpha(4)beta(7) and CCR9 is induced by retinoic acid, a vitamin A metabolite produced by retinal dehydrogenases, which are specifically expressed in dendritic cells as well as stromal cells in mucosa-draining lymph nodes. In this study, we demonstrate that mesenteric lymph node stromal cell-derived retinoic acid can directly induce the expression of gut-homing molecules on proliferating T cells, a process strongly enhanced by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells in vitro. Therefore, cooperation of sessile lymph node stromal cells with mobile dendritic cells warrants the imprinting of tissue specific homing receptors on activated T cells.
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