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05:47
Isolation of Murine Lymph Node Stromal Cells
Published on: August 19, 2014
On the horizon: flexible immune recognition outside lymphocytes
Wolfgang E Kaminski1, Alexander W Beham, Julia Kzhyshkowska
1Institute for Clinical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany. wolfgang.kaminski@umm.de
Immunobiology
|July 4, 2012
Summary
Flexible immune recognition, previously thought limited to lymphocytes, is now found in phagocytic cells like neutrophils and macrophages. This discovery links innate and adaptive immunity, suggesting broader host defense mechanisms in vertebrates.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cellular Biology
- Host Defense Mechanisms
Background:
- Adaptive immunity in jawed vertebrates relies on lymphocytes (B and T cells) expressing diverse antigen receptors (immunoglobulins and TCR).
- Flexible immune recognition was traditionally confined to the lymphoid lineage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and function of recombined immune receptors beyond lymphocytes.
- To explore the role of these novel receptors in innate immune cells and their connection to disease.
Main Methods:
- Identification of TCR-like immunoreceptors (TCRL) in neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrophages.
- In vitro functional assays.
- Analysis of TCRL involvement in granuloma formation in tuberculosis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Main Results:
- TCRL were identified in subpopulations of neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrophages in humans and mice.
- Macrophage-TCRL may facilitate phagocytosis and self-recruitment.
- Macrophage-TCRL are implicated in tuberculosis granuloma formation, and neutrophil-TCRL in autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Conclusions:
- The discovery of recombined TCR-like immune receptors in phagocytic cells extends combinatorial immune recognition to these cells.
- This unifies phagocytic capacity (innate immunity) and combinatorial immune recognition (adaptive immunity) on a common cellular platform.
- Flexible host defense in vertebrates may operate on a broader cellular basis than previously understood.
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