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T‐lymphocyte interaction with stromal, bone and hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow
Author(s) -
Di Rosa Francesca
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.2008.84
Subject(s) - bone marrow , immunology , haematopoiesis , antigen presenting cell , t cell , stromal cell , biology , cytotoxic t cell , stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , immune system , biochemistry , in vitro
Mature T cells in the bone marrow (BM) are in constant exchange with the blood pool. Within the BM, T‐cell recognition of antigen presented by dendritic cell (DC) can occur, nevertheless it is thought that BM T cells mostly receive non‐antigenic signals by either stimulatory, for example, interleukin (IL)‐7, IL‐15, tumor necrosis factor family members, or inhibitory molecules, for example, transforming growth factor‐β. The net balance is in favor of T‐cell proliferation. Indeed, the percentage of proliferating T cells is higher in the BM than in spleen and lymph nodes, both within CD4 and CD8 T cells. High numbers of memory T cells proliferate in the BM, as they preferentially home to the BM and have an increased turnover as compared with naive T cells. I propose here that the BM plays an essential role in maintaining normal peripheral T‐lymphocyte numbers and antigen‐specific memory for both CD4 and CD8 T cells. I also discuss BM T‐cell contribution to the homeostasis of bone metabolism as well as of hematopoiesis. It emerges that BM T cells play unexpected roles in several diseases, for example AIDS and osteoporosis. A better knowledge on BM T cells has implications for currently used clinical interventions, for example, vaccination, BM transplantation, mesenchymal stem cell‐based therapies.