title: Lymph node trafficking and antigen presentation by endobronchial eosinophils.
abstract: Because eosinophils recruited into the airways in allergic diseases are exposed to inhaled allergens, we evaluated whether eosinophils within the endobronchial lumen can function in vivo as antigen-presenting cells for inhaled antigens. We recovered eosinophils from the airways after aerosol antigen challenge in sensitized mice or from the peritoneal cavities of IL-5 transgenic mice and fluorescently labeled these cells ex vivo. These labeled cells, instilled intratracheally into normal mice, migrated into draining paratracheal lymph nodes and localized to T cell-rich paracortical areas. The homing of airway eosinophils to lymph nodes was not governed by eotaxin, because CCR3(-/-) and CCR3(+/+) eosinophils migrated identically. Airway eosinophils, recovered after inhalational antigen challenge in sensitized mice, expressed MHC class II and costimulatory CD80 and CD86 proteins and functioned in vitro as CD80- and CD86-dependent, antigen-specific, antigen-presenting cells. Moreover, when instilled into the airways of antigen-sensitized recipient mice, airway eosinophils recovered after inhalational antigen challenge stimulated antigen-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferation within paratracheal lymph nodes. Thus, eosinophils within the lumina of airways can process inhaled antigens, traffic to regional lymph nodes, and function in vivo as antigen-presenting cells to stimulate responses of CD4(+) T cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Harvard Thorndike Laboratories, Charles A. Dana Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: H Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Humbles
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerard
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Weller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018122:B7-1 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051940:B7-2 Antigen; D001980:Bronchi / Q000166:cytology; D002465:Cell Movement; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D054397:Receptors, CCR3; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014132:Trachea / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018122:B7-1 Antigen; D051940:B7-2 Antigen; C515351:Ccr3 protein, mouse; C497965:Cd86 protein, mouse; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D054397:Receptors, CCR3; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine