How to drain without lymphatics? Dendritic cells migrate from the cerebrospinal fluid to the B-cell follicles of cervical lymph nodes

Blood. 2006 Jan 15;107(2):806-12. doi: 10.1182/blood-2005-01-0154. Epub 2005 Oct 4.

Abstract

The lack of draining lymphatic vessels in the central nervous system (CNS) contributes to the so-called "CNS immune privilege." However, despite such a unique anatomic feature, dendritic cells (DCs) are able to migrate from the CNS to cervical lymph nodes through a yet unknown pathway. In this report, labeled bone marrow-derived myeloid DCs were injected stereotaxically into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or brain parenchyma of normal rats. We found that DCs injected within brain parenchyma migrate little from their site of injection and do not reach cervical lymph nodes. In contrast, intra-CSF-injected DCs either reach cervical lymph nodes or, for a minority of them, infiltrate the subventricular zone, where neural stem cells reside. Surprisingly, DCs that reach cervical lymph nodes preferentially target B-cell follicles rather than T-cell-rich areas. This report sheds a new light on the specific role exerted by CSF-infiltrating DCs in the control of CNS-targeted immune responses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism*
  • Bone Marrow / immunology
  • Bone Marrow / metabolism
  • Brain / immunology*
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cell Movement / immunology*
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid / immunology*
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid / metabolism
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Injections, Intraventricular
  • Lymph Nodes / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Myeloid Cells / immunology
  • Myeloid Cells / metabolism
  • Neurons / cytology
  • Neurons / immunology
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Stem Cells / cytology
  • Stem Cells / immunology
  • Stem Cells / metabolism