TY - JOUR
T1 - RANKL regulates differentiation of microfold cells in mouse nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT)
AU - Mutoh, Mami
AU - Kimura, Shunsuke
AU - Takahashi-Iwanaga, Hiromi
AU - Hisamoto, Meri
AU - Iwanaga, Toshihiko
AU - Iida, Junichiro
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research 25460261 (to S.K.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2016/4/1
Y1 - 2016/4/1
N2 - Murine nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT), located at the base of the nasal cavity, serves as a major site for the induction of mucosal immune responses against airway antigens. The follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) covering the luminal surface of NALT is characterized by the presence of microfold cells (M cells), which take up and transport luminal antigens to lymphocytes. Glycoprotein 2 (GP2) has recently been identified as a reliable marker for M cells in Peyer’s patches of the intestine. However, the expression of GP2 and other functional molecules in the M cells of NALT has not yet been examined. We have immunohistochemically detected GP2-expressing cells in the FAE of NALT and the simultaneous expression of other intestinal M-cell markers, namely Tnfaip2, CCL9, and Spi-B. These cells have been further identified as M cells because of their higher uptake capacity of luminal microbeads. Electron microscopic observations have shown that GP2-expressing cells on the FAE display morphological features typical of M cells: they possess short microvilli and microfolds on the luminal surface and are closely associated with intraepithelial lymphocytes. We have also found that the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) is expressed by stromal cells underneath the FAE, which provides its receptor RANK. The administration of RANKL markedly increases the number of GP2+Tnfaip2+ cells on the NALT FAE and that of intestinal M cells. These results suggest that GP2+Tnfaip2+ cells in NALT are equivalent to intestinal M cells, and that RANKL-RANK signaling induces their differentiation.
AB - Murine nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT), located at the base of the nasal cavity, serves as a major site for the induction of mucosal immune responses against airway antigens. The follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) covering the luminal surface of NALT is characterized by the presence of microfold cells (M cells), which take up and transport luminal antigens to lymphocytes. Glycoprotein 2 (GP2) has recently been identified as a reliable marker for M cells in Peyer’s patches of the intestine. However, the expression of GP2 and other functional molecules in the M cells of NALT has not yet been examined. We have immunohistochemically detected GP2-expressing cells in the FAE of NALT and the simultaneous expression of other intestinal M-cell markers, namely Tnfaip2, CCL9, and Spi-B. These cells have been further identified as M cells because of their higher uptake capacity of luminal microbeads. Electron microscopic observations have shown that GP2-expressing cells on the FAE display morphological features typical of M cells: they possess short microvilli and microfolds on the luminal surface and are closely associated with intraepithelial lymphocytes. We have also found that the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) is expressed by stromal cells underneath the FAE, which provides its receptor RANK. The administration of RANKL markedly increases the number of GP2+Tnfaip2+ cells on the NALT FAE and that of intestinal M cells. These results suggest that GP2+Tnfaip2+ cells in NALT are equivalent to intestinal M cells, and that RANKL-RANK signaling induces their differentiation.
KW - Follicle-associated epithelium
KW - Glycoprotein 2 (GP2)
KW - Microfold cells (M cells)
KW - Nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT)
KW - Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)
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U2 - 10.1007/s00441-015-2309-2
DO - 10.1007/s00441-015-2309-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 26553655
AN - SCOPUS:84946761138
VL - 364
SP - 175
EP - 184
JO - Zeitschrift für Zellforschung und mikroskopische Anatomie (Vienna, Austria : 1948)
JF - Zeitschrift für Zellforschung und mikroskopische Anatomie (Vienna, Austria : 1948)
SN - 0302-766X
IS - 1
ER -