Mechanisms and immune consequences of Neutrophil trafficking via lymphatics

在受伤和感染后，第一道防线是被称为中性粒细胞的白细胞提供的，它通过大量从血液循环向组织迁移来应对入侵微生物的存在。在这里，这些短暂的职业杀手识别所有病原体的共同特征，并通过释放大量有毒产品来杀死它们。下一道防线是由淋巴细胞提供的，它通过在淋巴结中繁殖并产生保护性抗体和病原体特异性T细胞来应对入侵的微生物。正常情况下，这种适应性反应依赖于通过被称为树突状细胞的专业哨兵将病原体通过淋巴管运送到结节，这些哨兵以适当的方式呈现病原体以激活淋巴细胞。直到最近，人们还认为反应的中性粒细胞和淋巴细胞臂(称为先天免疫和获得性免疫)基本上是独立的。然而，现在越来越清楚的是，它们不是；中性粒细胞不仅充当将病原体带到淋巴结的哨兵，而且还可以与树突状细胞通信，操纵抗体和T细胞反应。我们将研究中性粒细胞如何进入淋巴系统并迁移到淋巴结，当它们到达那里时与哪些细胞相互作用，以及它们可以在多大程度上改变树突状细胞产生的常规免疫反应。

Following injury and infection, the first line of defence is provided by white blood cells termed neutrophils that respond to the presence of invading microbes by emigrating in large numbers from the blood circulation to the tissues. Here, these short-lived professional killers recognize general features shared by all pathogens and kill them by releasing an arsenal of toxic products. The next line of defence is provided by lymphocytes, which respond to the invading microbes by multiplying in the lymph nodes and generating protective antibodies and pathogen specific T cells. Normally this adaptive response relies on the transport of pathogens to the nodes via lymphatic vessels by means of professional sentinels termed dendritic cells which present the pathogen in the appropriate way for lymphocyte activation. Until recently it was thought that the neutrophil and lymphocyte arms of the response (termed innate and adaptive immunity) were essentially independent. However it is now becoming clear that they are not; neutrophils not only act as sentinels carrying pathogens to the lymph nodes but can also communicate with dendritic cells to manipulate antibody and T cell responses. We will investigate how neutrophils enter the lymphatic system and migrate to the lymph nodes, which cells they interact with when they get there and to what extent they can alter conventional immune responses generated by dendritic cells.