TLR2/6 stimulation of the rat lung: effects on lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cells and dendritic cells in different parts of the air-conducting compartments and at different ages.
The composition of lymphocyte subsets in the lung has been found to be compartment-specific. To characterize the effect of age, weanling, young adult and adult rats were studied in control conditions and after a single intratracheal dose of the Toll-like receptor 2/6 (TLR2/6) agonist macrophage activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2). In all age groups, T, B and natural killer (NK) cells increased dramatically in the epithelium and lamina propria of the bronchi. Male adult rats were found to have responded to MALP-2 to a much greater extent than females when lymphocyte subsets were counted in the epithelium and the lamina propria. In a second series of experiments the time kinetics of regulatory T-cell (Treg) subsets and dendritic cells (DCs) in the lung was studied after local stimulation with MALP-2. Different time-dependent patterns were found in the Treg subsets CD4(+) CD25(+), CD4(+) CD25(+) neuropilin 1(+) and CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) cells. Neutrophils and DCs also showed different patterns. Thus, the local application of a TLR agonist increased the number of lymphocyte subsets in a compartment-specific pattern. However, data should not be generalized or extrapolated from one age group, sex or lymphocyte subpopulation to another.
Pabst
Reinhard
R
Institute of Functional and Applied Anatomy, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany. pabst.reinhard@mh-hannover.de
Durak
Deniz
D
Roos
Anna
A
Lührmann
Anke
A
Tschernig
Thomas
T
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001980:Bronchi / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D055666:Lipopeptides / Q000276:immunology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000276:immunology; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 / Q000819:agonists / Q000276:immunology*; D051216:Toll-Like Receptor 6 / Q000819:agonists / Q000276:immunology*
D055666:Lipopeptides; C495343:Tlr2 protein, rat; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051216:Toll-Like Receptor 6; C106335:macrophage stimulatory lipopeptide 2