Project description:Milky spots, lymphoid clusters present in visceral adipose tissue omentum, play central roles in the regulation of abdominal immunity. Milky spots exhibit hybrid nature between secondary lymph organs and ectopic lymphoid tissues, yet the mechanism of their development and maturation is poorly understood. Here, we identified a subset of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) that are uniquely present in omental milky spots. These FRCs were characterized by the expression of retinoic acid converting enzyme, Aldh1a2, and endothelial cell marker, Tie2, in addition to canonical FRC-associated genes. Diphtheria toxin-mediated ablation of Aldh1a2+ FRCs resulted in the alteration in milky spot structure with a significant reduction in size and cellularity. Mechanistically, Aldh1a2+ FRCs regulated the display of chemokine CXCL12 on high endothelial venules (HEVs), which recruit blood-borne lymphocytes from circulation. We further found that Aldh1a2+ FRCs are required for the maintenance of peritoneal lymphocyte composition. These results illustrate the homeostatic roles of FRCs in the formation of non-classical lymphoid tissues.
Project description:Milky spots, lymphoid clusters present in visceral adipose tissue omentum, play central roles in the regulation of abdominal immunity. Milky spots exhibit hybrid nature between secondary lymph organs and ectopic lymphoid tissues, yet the mechanism of their development and maturation is poorly understood. Here, we identified a subset of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) that are uniquely present in omental milky spots. These FRCs were characterized by the expression of retinoic acid converting enzyme, Aldh1a2, and endothelial cell marker, Tie2, in addition to canonical FRC-associated genes. Diphtheria toxin-mediated ablation of Aldh1a2+ FRCs resulted in the alteration in milky spot structure with a significant reduction in size and cellularity. Mechanistically, Aldh1a2+ FRCs regulated the display of chemokine CXCL12 on high endothelial venules (HEVs), which recruit blood-borne lymphocytes from circulation. We further found that Aldh1a2+ FRCs are required for the maintenance of peritoneal lymphocyte composition. These results illustrate the homeostatic roles of FRCs in the formation of non-classical lymphoid tissues.
Project description:Milky spots, lymphoid clusters present in visceral adipose tissue omentum, play central roles in the regulation of abdominal immunity. Milky spots exhibit hybrid nature between secondary lymph organs and ectopic lymphoid tissues, yet the mechanism of their development and maturation is poorly understood. Here, we identified a subset of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) that are uniquely present in omental milky spots. These FRCs were characterized by the expression of retinoic acid converting enzyme, Aldh1a2, and endothelial cell marker, Tie2, in addition to canonical FRC-associated genes. Diphtheria toxin-mediated ablation of Aldh1a2+ FRCs resulted in the alteration in milky spot structure with a significant reduction in size and cellularity. Mechanistically, Aldh1a2+ FRCs regulated the display of chemokine CXCL12 on high endothelial venules (HEVs), which recruit blood-borne lymphocytes from circulation. We further found that Aldh1a2+ FRCs are required for the maintenance of peritoneal lymphocyte composition. These results illustrate the homeostatic roles of FRCs in the formation of non-classical lymphoid tissues.
Project description:Lymphoid clusters in visceral adipose tissue omentum, known as milky spots, play a central role in the immunological defense in the abdomen. Milky spots exhibit hybrid nature between secondary lymph organs and ectopic lymphoid tissues, yet their development and maturation mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we identified a subset of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) that are uniquely present in omental milky spots. These FRCs were characterized by the expression of retinoic acid-converting enzyme, Aldh1a2, and endothelial cell marker, Tie2, in addition to canonical FRC-associated genes. Diphtheria toxin-mediated ablation of Aldh1a2+ FRCs resulted in the alteration in milky spot structure with a significant reduction in size and cellularity. Mechanistically, Aldh1a2+ FRCs regulated the display of chemokine CXCL12 on high endothelial venules (HEVs), which recruit blood-borne lymphocytes from circulation. We further found that Aldh1a2+ FRCs are required for the maintenance of peritoneal lymphocyte composition. These results illustrate the homeostatic roles of FRCs in the formation of non-classical lymphoid tissues.
Project description:The omentum is the most common site of ovarian cancer metastasis. Immune cell clusters called milky spots are found throughout the omentum. It is however unknown if these immune cells contribute to ovarian cancer metastasis. Here we report that omental macrophages promote the migration and colonization of ovarian cancer cells to the omentum through the secretion of chemokine ligands that interact with chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1). We found that depletion of macrophages reduces ovarian cancer colonization of the omentum. RNA-sequencing of macrophages isolated from mouse omentum and mesenteric adipose tissue revealed a specific enrichment of CCL6 chemokine ligand in omental macrophages. CCL6 and the human homolog CCL23 were both necessary and sufficient to promote ovarian cancer migration by activating ERK1/2 and PI3K pathways. Importantly, inhibition of CCR1 reduced ovarian cancer colonization. These findings demonstrate a critical mechanism of omental macrophage induced colonization by ovarian cancer cells via CCR1 signaling.
Project description:Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) (CD45- Ter119-MADCAM1- CD21/35- CD31- PDPN-) from skin draining lymph nodes of Grem1-Cre-ERT2.cki; Rosa26-LSL-EYFP mice were sorted and subjected to bulk RNA-seq of Grem1 reporter + and Grem1 reporter - cells.
Project description:Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are heterogeneous. We use single cell RNA sequencing to identify subsets of FRCs in fat-associated lymphoid clusters (FALC) in the mesenteric adipose tissue