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Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Isolation of Murine Lymph Node Stromal Cells
Published on: August 19, 2014
Compartmentalized multicellular crosstalk in lymph nodes coordinates the generation of potent cellular and humoral
Justine Poirot1,2, Jasna Medvedovic1, Coline Trichot1
1Université de Paris, INSERM U976, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Distributed throughout the body, lymph nodes (LNs) constitute an important crossroad where resident and migratory immune cells interact to initiate antigen-specific immune responses supported by a dynamic 3-dimensional network of stromal cells, that is, endothelial cells and fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs). LNs are organized into four major subanatomically separated compartments: the subcapsular sinus (SSC), the paracortex, the cortex, and the medulla. Each compartment is underpinned by particular FRC subsets that physically support LN architecture and delineate functional immune niches by appropriately providing environmental cues, nutrients, and survival factors to the immune cell subsets they interact with. In this review, we discuss how FRCs drive the structural and functional organization of each compartment to give rise to prosperous interactions and coordinate immune cell activities. We also discuss how reciprocal communication makes FRCs and immune cells perfect compatible partners for the generation of potent cellular and humoral immune responses.
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