Lymphoid organ stromal cells comprise different subsets whose origin remains unknown. Herein, we exploit a genetic lineage-tracing approach to show that splenic fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), marginal reticular cells (MRCs), and mural cells, but not endothelial cells, originated from embryonic mesenchymal progenitors of the Nkx2-5+Islet1+ lineage. This lineage included embryonic mesenchymal cells with lymphoid tissue organizer (LTo) activity capable of supporting ectopic lymphoid-like structures, and a subset of resident spleen stromal cells that proliferated and regenerated the splenic stromal microenvironment following resolution of a viral infection. These findings identify progenitor cells that generate stromal diversity in spleen development and repair, and suggest the existence of multipotent stromal progenitors in the adult spleen with regenerative capacity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.