Tertiary lymphoid structures in autoimmune diseases

Yuanji Dong; Ting Wang; Huaxiang Wu

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1322035

Tertiary lymphoid structures in autoimmune diseases

Front Immunol. 2024 Jan 8:14:1322035. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1322035. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yuanji Dong^#¹, Ting Wang^#², Huaxiang Wu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
² Department of Respiratory Disease, Thoracic Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are organized lymphoid-like aggregations in non-lymphoid tissues. Tissues with chronic and persistent inflammation infiltration may drive and form ectopic germinal center-like structures, which are very common in autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, and tumor microenvironments. However, the mechanisms governing the formation of TLSs are still being explored. At present, it is not clear whether the formation of TLSs is associated with local uncontrolled immune inflammatory responses. While TLSs suggest a good prognosis in tumors, the opposite is true in autoimmune diseases. This review article will discuss the current views on initiating and maintaining TLSs and the potential therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases.

Keywords: autoimmune disease; fibroblasts; immune cells; potential target; tertiary lymphoid structures.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Autoimmune Diseases*
Germinal Center
Humans
Persistent Infection
Tertiary Lymphoid Structures*
Transplants*

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.