Differences in the tissue-specific homing of alpha beta and gamma delta T cells to gut and peripheral lymph nodes.
Tissue-selective streaming of T cells is considered to be a critical element in the integration of normal immune responses in intact animals. The results presented in this paper show that while there were major subsets of gut-homing T cells present in intestinal lymph, there were considerable differences in the tissue tropism of T cell populations circulating in lymph draining gut and peripheral lymph nodes. Thus, while CD4+ cells returned preferentially to their tissue of origin, gamma delta T cells showed a strong migratory preference for peripheral lymph nodes regardless of their tissue of origin. In contrast, although a population of gut-homing CD8+ cells was present in ileal lymph, CD8+ T cells from peripheral lymph nodes homed equally well to gut and lymph nodes. There were also considerable differences in the expression of L-selectin on T cells circulating in the two compartments. L-selectin was down-regulated on alpha beta T cells present in ileal lymph but not on gamma delta T cells which expressed the highest levels of L-selectin of all T cell subsets. It is suggested that gut-homing alpha beta T cells which have down-regulated L-selectin are formed in the gut-associated lymphoid tissues in response to gut antigens while the migratory properties of gamma delta T cells are ontogenetically determined, independent of antigen.
Washington
E A
EA
Laboratory for Foetal and Neonatal Immunology, School of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Katerelos
M
M
Cahill
R N
RN
Kimpton
W G
WG
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D004064:Digestive System / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000276:immunology*; D012756:Sheep; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta