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TLR2/6 stimulation of the rat lung: effects on lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cells and dendritic cells in different parts of the air‐conducting compartments and at different ages
Author(s) -
Pabst Reinhard,
Durak Deniz,
Roos Anna,
Lührmann Anke,
Tschernig Thomas
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2008.02886.x
Subject(s) - stimulation , biology , immunology , lymphocyte , lung , lymphocyte subsets , natural killer cell , microbiology and biotechnology , tlr2 , immune system , neuroscience , medicine , cytotoxicity , innate immune system , t cell , in vitro , biochemistry
Summary The composition of lymphocyte subsets in the lung has been found to be compartment‐specific. To characterize the effect of age, weanling, young adult and adult rats were studied in control conditions and after a single intratracheal dose of the Toll‐like receptor 2/6 (TLR2/6) agonist macrophage activating lipopeptide‐2 (MALP‐2). In all age groups, T, B and natural killer (NK) cells increased dramatically in the epithelium and lamina propria of the bronchi. Male adult rats were found to have responded to MALP‐2 to a much greater extent than females when lymphocyte subsets were counted in the epithelium and the lamina propria. In a second series of experiments the time kinetics of regulatory T‐cell (Treg) subsets and dendritic cells (DCs) in the lung was studied after local stimulation with MALP‐2. Different time‐dependent patterns were found in the Treg subsets CD4 + CD25 + , CD4 + CD25 + neuropilin 1 + and CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + cells. Neutrophils and DCs also showed different patterns. Thus, the local application of a TLR agonist increased the number of lymphocyte subsets in a compartment‐specific pattern. However, data should not be generalized or extrapolated from one age group, sex or lymphocyte subpopulation to another.