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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
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Visualizing Lymph Node Structure and Cellular Localization using Ex-Vivo Confocal Microscopy
Published on: August 9, 2019
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Hallmarks of Tissue-Resident Lymphocytes
Xiying Fan1, Alexander Y Rudensky2
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 417 East 68(th) Street, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Cell
|March 12, 2016
Summary
Lymphocytes reside in tissues, not just recirculate. These tissue-resident lymphocytes, including innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and T cells, maintain tissue health during homeostasis and disease.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Lymphocytes classically recirculate through lymphoid organs and blood.
- Lymphocytes also reside in non-lymphoid tissues, particularly barrier sites like mucosa and skin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the characteristics of tissue-resident lymphocytes.
- To discuss their functions in non-lymphoid organs.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on tissue-resident lymphocytes.
- Discussion of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), unconventional T cells, and tissue-resident memory T (T(RM)) cells.
Main Results:
- Tissue-resident lymphocytes include ILCs, unconventional T cells (NKT, MAIT, γδ T, CD8αα(+) IELs), and T(RM) cells.
- These cells span the innate-adaptive immunity spectrum.
- They play roles in maintaining tissue integrity during homeostasis, infection, and non-infectious conditions.
Conclusions:
- Diverse tissue-resident lymphocyte subsets share key features.
- These cells are crucial for tissue homeostasis and defense at barrier sites.
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