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Updated: Jan 27, 2026
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Generation of Lymph Node-fat Pad Chimeras for the Study of Lymph Node Stromal Cell Origin
Published on: December 16, 2013
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Lymph node conduits transport virions for rapid T cell activation.
Glennys V Reynoso1, Andrea S Weisberg2, John P Shannon1
1Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nature Immunology
|March 20, 2019
Summary
Virions travel through lymph node conduits to infect cells, initiating antiviral T cell responses. This discovery clarifies how virus-infected cells rapidly appear within lymph nodes to prime CD8+ T cells.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Antiviral T cell priming is crucial for adaptive immunity.
- The precise mechanisms of virion trafficking within lymph nodes remain unclear.
- Existing models do not fully explain the rapid dissemination of infected cells in lymph nodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the pathways of virion movement within lymph nodes.
- To understand how virus-infected cells reach the lymph node interior.
- To investigate the role of lymph node conduits in viral spread and T cell priming.
Main Methods:
- Administration of vaccinia virus and Zika virus to mice.
- Confocal and electron microscopy to visualize virions and infected cells.
- Analysis of CD8+ T cell interactions with infected cells in the lymph node paracortex.
Main Results:
- Virions were observed within lymph node conduits.
- Rapidly infected cells were frequently located adjacent to these conduits.
- CD8+ T cells preferentially associated with infected cells, leading to T cell activation.
Conclusions:
- Lymph node conduits facilitate the transport of virions, including large ones.
- Virions can infect dendritic cells within the T cell zone via conduits.
- This process enables efficient priming of CD8+ T cells for antiviral immunity.
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