Histologic analysis of T lymphocyte activation in reactive lymph nodes |
| |
Authors: | S A Bogen D S Weinberg A K Abbas |
| |
Affiliation: | Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115. |
| |
Abstract: | As an approach to defining the anatomic sites of T cell activation in situ, we have developed an immunocytochemical stain for IL-2, a T cell-derived cytokine synthesized shortly after Ag-induced activation. Analysis of lymph nodes from mice immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin emulsified in CFA demonstrates that the IL2+ cells appear in a perivascular location 4 days after antigenic challenge. After germinal centers develop, IL-2+ cells are situated in a parafollicular pattern. Serial sections stained for different types of APC, including B cells, interdigitating dendritic cells, and macrophages, demonstrate a close physical association between IL-2+ cells and macrophages. These findings may have important implications for defining how APC bearing processed Ag and Ag-specific T cells interact in the complex environment of lymphoid tissues. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|