Stromal cell microenvironments within lymphoid tissues are designed to support immune cell homeostasis and to regulate ongoing immune responses to pathogens. Such stromal cell networks have been best characterized within lymphoid tissues including the spleen and peripheral lymph nodes, and systems for classifying stromal cell phenotypes and functions are emerging. In response to inflammation, s...

1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; 2Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; 3Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; 4Cardiovascular Research Institute, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco; 5Edwin ...

The establishment of T cell central tolerance critically relies on the development and maintenance of the medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Disrupted signaling of lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTβR) results in dramatically reduced mTEC population. However, whether LTβR directly or indirectly control mTECs remains undetermined; how LTβR controls this process also remain unclear. In this st...

The role of lipoteichoic acids (LTAs) from Gram-positive bacteria as immunostimulatory molecules was controversial for many years, as inadequate preparation methods as well as heterogeneous and endotoxin-contaminated commercial preparations led to conflicting results. An improved purification methodology for LTA now yields potent bioactive and chemically defined material, which is currently bei...

Role of Lymphotoxin-α in Cigarette Smoke-Induced Inflammation and Lymphoid Neogenesis Tine Demoor, Ken R. Bracke, Tania Maes, Bernard Vandooren, Dirk Elewaut, Charles Pilette, Guy F. Joos and Guy G. Brusselle Department of Respiratory Medicine, Laboratory for Translational Research in Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. Department of Rheumatology, Laborato...