Murine Fibroblastic Reticular Cells From Lymph Node Interact With CD4+ T Cells Through CD40-CD40L

Reproducible Isolation of Lymph Node Stromal Cells Reveals Site-Dependent Differences in Fibroblastic Reticular Cells

Within lymph nodes, non-hematopoietic stromal cells organize and interact with leukocytes in an immunologically important manner. In addition to organizing T and B cell segregation and expressing lymphocyte survival factors, several recent studies have shown that lymph node stromal cells shape the naïve T cell repertoire, expressing self-antigens which delete self-reactive T cells in a unique a...

Lymph Node Fibroblastic Reticular Cells Construct the Stromal Reticulum via Contact with Lymphocytes

The sophisticated microarchitecture of the lymph node, which is largely supported by a reticular network of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) and extracellular matrix, is essential for immune function. How FRCs form the elaborate network and remodel it in response to lymphocyte activation is not understood. In this work, we established ERTR7(+)gp38(+)VCAM-1(+) FRC lines and examined the produ...

Fibroblastic reticular cells of the lymph node are required for retention of resting but not activated CD8+ T cells.

Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), through their expression of CC chemokine ligand (CCL)19 and CCL21, attract and retain T cells in lymph nodes (LNs), but whether this function applies to both resting and activated T cells has not been examined. Here we describe a model for conditionally depleting FRCs from LNs based on their expression of the diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) directed by the g...

Fibroblastic Reticular Cells: Organization

Fibroblastic Reticular Cells From Lymph Nodes Attenuate T Cell Expansion by Producing Nitric Oxide

Adaptive immune responses are initiated when T cells encounter antigen on dendritic cells (DC) in T zones of secondary lymphoid organs. T zones contain a 3-dimensional scaffold of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC) but currently it is unclear how FRC influence T cell activation. Here we report that FRC lines and ex vivo FRC inhibit T cell proliferation but not differentiation. FRC share this fe...