title: Intra- and intercompartmental movement of gammadelta T cells: intestinal intraepithelial and peripheral gammadelta T cells represent exclusive nonoverlapping populations with distinct migration characteristics.
abstract: Unlike the ∼1% of γδ TCR-positive T cells being regularly present in blood and secondary lymphoid organs (peripheral γδ T cells), ∼50-60% of small intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (iIELs) in the mouse express the γδ TCR (γδ iIELs). In this study, we investigated the overlap and exchange of γδ iIELs and γδ T cells found in peripheral secondary lymphoid organs. Using two-photon laser-scanning microscopy, we found γδ T cells within peripheral lymph nodes to be highly motile, whereas γδ iIELs were characterized by a locally confined scanning behavior. Our results implied a strict separation of peripheral γδ T cells and γδ iIELs. Nevertheless, γδ iIELs could be efficiently regenerated from bone marrow-derived precursors in irradiated or T cell-deficient adult mice. However, outside the intestinal epithelium, survival of γδ iIELs was very poor. In CCR9-deficient mice, homing of γδ iIELs was impaired, but did not lead to an accumulation of γδ iIEL-like cells in the periphery. Conversely, in situations in which specific γδ iIEL niches were empty, adoptive transfer of isolated γδ iIELs led to a sustained engraftment of transferred γδ iIELs in the intestinal epithelium for at least 100 d. Furthermore, we demonstrated by heterotopic intestinal transplantation experiments that an exchange of γδ iIELs only rarely happens in the steady state of adult mice. We therefore conclude that peripheral versus intestinal intraepithelial γδ T cells are exclusive, nonoverlapping populations that virtually do not exchange with each other.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Vijaykumar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chennupati
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Worbs
authors.forename: Xiaosun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Frano H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Malinarich
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Malissen
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Förster
authors.forename: Immo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prinz
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000276:immunology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000276:immunology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta