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The characterization and distribution of microcirculation in the mouse spleen
Author(s) -
Shimizu Kazuhiko,
Ezaki Taichi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.636.2
Subject(s) - lymphatic system , spleen , podoplanin , white pulp , red pulp , pathology , immunohistochemistry , anatomy , medicine , biology , immunology
The spleen has been regarded as a blood filtration organ and been studied in the aspects of immunology and hemodynamics. However, there were very few reports on lymphatic vessels (LVs) in the spleen. In this study, we used an immunohistochemical 3D‐imaging technique to characterize LVs in the mouse spleen and successfully demonstrated their spacial relationship to the blood vascular system for the first time by the use of various lymphatic markers, such as LYVE‐1 and podoplanin. The LYVE‐1(+) LVs ran reversely along the central arteries in the white pulp and trabecular arteries, and exited the spleen from the hilus. Furthermore, podoplanin was expressed not only LVs but also stromal cells in the white pulp. These podoplanin(+) cells formed mesh works surrounding the LVs and the central arteries. Intravenous transplantation of GFP(+) lymphocytes into normal recepient mice revealed that the donor cells appered in the mesh works as early as 1 hr and gathered in the splenic LVs at 6 hrs of post injection. These results suggest that the mesh works may act as an extravascular systems, and together with ordinary LVs play a primary role in the cell traffic as a special lymphatic route in the mouse spleen.