CollagenVI-Cre mice: A new tool to target stromal cells in secondary lymphoid organs.
Stromal cells in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) are non-hematopoietic cells involved in the regulation of adaptive immune responses. Three major stromal populations have been identified in adult SLOs: fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) and marginal reticular cells (MRCs). The properties of these individual populations are not clearly defined, mainly due to the lack of appropriate genetic tools, especially for MRCs. Here, we analyzed stromal cell targeting in SLOs from a transgenic mouse strain that expresses Cre recombinase under the CollagenVI promoter, using lineage tracing approaches. We show that these mice target specifically MRCs and FDCs, but not FRCs in Peyer's patches and isolated lymphoid follicles in the intestine. In contrast, stromal cells in lymph nodes and the spleen do not express the transgene, which renders ColVI-cre mice ideal for the specific targeting of stromal cells in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). This funding further supports the hypothesis of organ-specific stromal precursors in SLOs. Interestingly, in all tissues analyzed, there was also high specificity for perivascular cells, which have been proposed to act as FDC precursors. Taken together, ColVI-Cre mice are a useful new tool for the dissection of MRC- and FDC-specific functions and plasticity in the GALT.
Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672 Vari, Greece.
Alejandro
A
Prados
Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672 Vari, Greece.|Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
George
G
Kollias
Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672 Vari, Greece.
Vasiliki
V
Koliaraki
D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000276:immunology; D024142:Collagen Type VI / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020566:Dendritic Cells, Follicular / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D020286:Pericytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
D024142:Collagen Type VI; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins