title: Fibroblastic reticular cells guide T lymphocyte entry into and migration within the splenic T cell zone.
abstract: Although a great deal is known about T cell entry into lymph nodes, much less is understood about how T lymphocytes access the splenic white pulp (WP). We show in this study that, as recently described for lymph nodes, fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) form a network in the T cell zone (periarteriolar lymphoid sheath, PALS) of the WP on which T lymphocytes migrate. This network connects the PALS to the marginal zone (MZ), which is the initial site of lymphocyte entry from the blood. T cells do not enter the WP at random locations but instead traffic to that site using the FRC-rich MZ bridging channels (MZBCs). These data reveal that FRCs form a substrate for T cells in the spleen, guiding these lymphocytes from their site of entry in the MZ into the PALS, within which they continue to move on the same network.
authors.affiliation: Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bajénoff
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Glaichenhaus
authors.forename: Ronald N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Germain