Functionally specialized junctions between endothelial cells of lymphatic vessels

Bałuk, Peter; Fuxe, Jonas; Hashizume, Hiroya; Romano, Talia; Lashnits, Erin; Butz, Stefan; Vestweber, Dietmar; Corada, Monica; Molendini, Cinzia; Dejana, Elisabetta; McDonald, Donald M.

doi:10.1083/jcb1787oia15

Cited by 168 publications

(286 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

278

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…It was initially assumed that entry was an indolent process, though there is now accumulating evidence that a number of traffic molecules play a role. For example, skin DCs are thought to enter the afferent lymphatics between overlapping junctions of oak leaf-shaped lymphatic endothelial cells in the initial dermal lymphatics, which are tethered to several molecules forming tight and adherens juntions, including the junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) (Baluk et al, 2007). JAM-A-deficient mice show an increase in DC trafficking within the afferent lymphatics (Cera et al, 2004), suggesting that lymphatic endothelium normally restricts DC access.…”

Section: Traversing the Afferent Lymphatic Endotheliummentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms and Consequences of Dendritic Cell Migration

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical for adaptive immunity and tolerance. Most DCs are strategically positioned as immune sentinels in tissues throughout the body poised to respond to invading pathogens. Differentiated DCs and their precursors also circulate in blood and can get rapidly recruited to sites of challenge. Within peripheral tissues DCs collect antigenic material and then traffic to secondary lymphoid organs where they communicate with lymphocytes to orchestrate adaptive immune responses. Hence, the migration and accurate positioning of DCs is indispensable for immune surveillance. Here, we review the molecular traffic signals that govern DC migration throughout their life cycle.

show abstract

Section: Traversing the Afferent Lymphatic Endotheliummentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms and Consequences of Dendritic Cell Migration

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The lymphatic vasculature is comprised of unique functional features that enable entry and transport of large proteins, immune cells, lipids, and fluid against a pressure gradient (Figure 2). Specifically, the entry point of the lymphatic system is regulated by initial lymphatics (blind ended microvessels lacking smooth muscle), which have specialized junctions that prevent backflow of fluid into the tissue after it has entered the vessel [4, 5]. The initial lymphatics merge into larger collecting vessels composed of individually contracting units known as lymphangions.…”

Section: Lymphatic Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general one can regard lymphatic transport of chylomicrons as a two-stage process: 1) entry into the initial lymphatic vessel of the small intestine, known as a lacteal (Figure 3) and movement through the initial vessels via the intrinsic motion of intestinal peristalsis [22], and 2) the subsequent movement of this lipid through the rest of the lymphatic system by the contractile activity of the larger collecting lymphatics [9]. While recent elegant work illustrated the unique molecular expression pattern of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cadherin), one of the primary junctional molecules of endothelial cells, of the initial lymphatics in a mouse trachea, it is unknown whether this button-like pattern of expression exists in the lacteal [5]. In fact, most of our knowledge on the structure-function relationship of the lacteal is based upon early work in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [23–27], and the conclusions of this work remain controversial.…”

Section: Stage1: Lipid Uptake Into Lactealsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lymphatic lipid transport: sewer or subway?

Dixon

2010

Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism

142

132

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The lymphatics began receiving attention in the scientific community as early as 1622, when Gasparo Aselli noted the appearance of milky white vessels in the mesentery of a well-fed dog. Since this time, the lymphatic system has been historically regarded as the sewer of the vasculature, passively draining fluid and proteins from the interstitial spaces (along with lipid from the gut) into the blood. Recent reports, however, suggest that the lymphatic role in lipid transport is an active and intricate process and when lymphatic function is compromised, there are systemic consequences to lipid metabolism and transport. This review highlights these recent findings and suggests future directions for understanding the interplay between lymphatic and lipid biology in health and disease. Lymphatic FunctionThe lymphatic system (Figure 1) is found in most tissues in the body and plays important roles in maintaining fluid balance [1], immune cell trafficking from the periphery to lymph nodes [2], and lipid transport from the intestine to the circulation [3]. The lymphatic vasculature is comprised of unique functional features that enable entry and transport of large proteins, immune cells, lipids, and fluid against a pressure gradient (Figure 2). Specifically, the entry point of the lymphatic system is regulated by initial lymphatics (blind ended microvessels lacking smooth muscle), which have specialized junctions that prevent backflow of fluid into the tissue after it has entered the vessel [4,5]. The initial lymphatics merge into larger collecting vessels composed of individually contracting units known as lymphangions. Each lymphangion is lined with a functionally unique form of smooth muscle that provides vessel tone and allows the vessel to contract down to as much as 20% of its resting diameter [6,7]. These contractions, when combined with the valve leaflets that separate each lymphangion [8], promote unidirectional propagation of flow [9]. In this review we specifically focus on the lymphatic vasculature's role in lipid metabolism and trafficking, highlighting recent work that suggests a connection between lymphatic dysfunction and lipid-related diseases such as obesity and hyperlipidemia.

show abstract

“…In our study, firstly we conformed an association between LVD with tumor cell's lymphatic metastasis, which was accordance with most previous studies. [24] In peritumoral area, in addition to the increased account of vascularity, we also observed most of the structures of these lymphatic vessels were some irregular, with divided endothelium, which may contribute to tumor cell's migration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%