Search:        >> Advanced Search
Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kokkonen, T. S. Articles by Karttunen, T. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kokkonen, T. S. Articles by Karttunen, T. J. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

High Endothelial Venules of the Lymph Nodes Express Fas Ligand

Tuomo S. Kokkonen, Merja T. Augustin, Johanna M. Mäkinen, Jorma Kokkonen and Tuomo J. Karttunen

Departments of Pathology, University of Oulu (TSK,MTA,JMM,TJK) and Pediatrics (JK), Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland

Correspondence to: Tuomo J. Karttunen, Dept. of Pathology, University of Oulu, POB 5000, 90014 University of Oulu, Finland. E-mail: tuomo.karttunen{at}oulu.fi

Fas (CD95, APO-1) is widely expressed on lymphatic cells, and by interacting with its natural ligand (Fas-L), Fas induces apoptosis through a complex caspase cascade. In this study we sought to survey Fas-L expression in vascular and sinusoidal structures of human reactive lymph nodes. Immunohistochemical Fas-L expression was present in all paracortical high endothelial venules (HEVs), in cells lining the marginal sinus wall, and in a few lymphocytes, but only occasionally in non-HEV vascular endothelium. In the paracortical zone over 60% of all vessels and all paracortical HEVs showed Fas-L expression, whereas in the medullary zone less than 10% of the blood vessels were stained with Fas-L. Normal vessels outside lymph nodes mostly showed no Fas-L expression. We show that in human reactive lymph nodes Fas-L expression is predominantly present in HEVs. Because the circulating lymphocytes gain entry to nodal parenchyma by transendothelial migration through HEVs, the suggested physiological importance of Fas-L expression in these vessels lies in the regulation of lymphocyte access to lymph node parencyhyma by possibly inducing Fas/Fas-L mediated apoptosis of activated Fas-expressing lymphoid cells. The Fas-L expressing cells in the marginal sinus might have a similar function for cells accessing the node in afferent lymph. (J Histochem Cytochem 52:693–699, 2004)

Key Words: Fas-L • CD95-L • HEV • lymph node • immune privilege

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Prevo, S. Banerji, J. Ni, and D. G. Jackson Rapid Plasma Membrane-Endosomal Trafficking of the Lymph Node Sinus and High Endothelial Venule Scavenger Receptor/Homing Receptor Stabilin-1 (Feel-1/Clever-1) J. Biol. Chem., December 10, 2004; 279(50): 52580 - 52592. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 2004