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Updated: May 12, 2026
11:28
Isolating Lymphocytes from the Mouse Small Intestinal Immune System
Published on: February 28, 2018
Human intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes have potent chemotactic activity
1Department of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, USA.
Gastroenterology
|October 1, 1995
Summary
Intestinal lymphocytes, particularly intraepithelial lymphocytes, migrate towards specific chemokines like IL-8 and RANTES. This migration involves calcium signaling, differing significantly between intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Inflammation involves leukocyte migration towards chemokines.
- Understanding intestinal lymphocyte attraction is crucial for gut immunity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify chemokines that attract intestinal lymphocytes.
- Characterize the migratory and calcium-mobilizing responses of different intestinal lymphocyte subsets.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of human jejunal intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes.
- Boyden transwell assay to assess lymphocyte migration.
- Measurement of intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) using Fura-2 fluorescence.
Main Results:
- Intraepithelial lymphocytes showed significant migration towards IL-8 and RANTES, and some towards IL-10.
- Lamina propria lymphocytes exhibited limited migration, primarily towards IL-8.
- IL-8 and IL-10 induced calcium mobilization in intraepithelial lymphocytes, originating from intracellular stores.
Conclusions:
- Intraepithelial lymphocytes possess distinct migratory and calcium-mobilizing capabilities compared to lamina propria lymphocytes.
- These functional differences highlight specialized roles of lymphocyte subsets in the intestinal mucosa.
- Migratory and calcium-mobilizing activities of intestinal lymphocytes are not directly correlated.
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