Lymph node trafficking and antigen presentation by endobronchial eosinophils
Huan-Zhong Shi, … , Zhuang Jin, Peter F. Weller
Huan-Zhong Shi, … , Zhuang Jin, Peter F. Weller
Published April 1, 2000
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2000;105(7):945-953. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI8945.
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Article

Lymph node trafficking and antigen presentation by endobronchial eosinophils

Abstract

Because eosinophils recruited into the airways in allergic diseases are exposed to inhaled allergens, we evaluated whether eosinophils within the endobronchial lumen can function in vivo as antigen-presenting cells for inhaled antigens. We recovered eosinophils from the airways after aerosol antigen challenge in sensitized mice or from the peritoneal cavities of IL-5 transgenic mice and fluorescently labeled these cells ex vivo. These labeled cells, instilled intratracheally into normal mice, migrated into draining paratracheal lymph nodes and localized to T cell–rich paracortical areas. The homing of airway eosinophils to lymph nodes was not governed by eotaxin, because CCR3–/– and CCR3+/+ eosinophils migrated identically. Airway eosinophils, recovered after inhalational antigen challenge in sensitized mice, expressed MHC class II and costimulatory CD80 and CD86 proteins and functioned in vitro as CD80- and CD86-dependent, antigen-specific, antigen-presenting cells. Moreover, when instilled into the airways of antigen-sensitized recipient mice, airway eosinophils recovered after inhalational antigen challenge stimulated antigen-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation within paratracheal lymph nodes. Thus, eosinophils within the lumina of airways can process inhaled antigens, traffic to regional lymph nodes, and function in vivo as antigen-presenting cells to stimulate responses of CD4+ T cells.

Authors

Huan-Zhong Shi, Alison Humbles, Craig Gerard, Zhuang Jin, Peter F. Weller

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Figure 1

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Eosinophil migration from the airways into paratracheal lymph nodes. Eos...
Eosinophil migration from the airways into paratracheal lymph nodes. Eosinophils (5 × 105) from the airways of antigen-sensitized and aerosol-challenged mice and labeled with DiIC16(3) (red), were instilled into the tracheas of recipient mice. Paratracheal lymph nodes were harvested at the indicated times after eosinophil instillation. Cryosectioned lymph nodes were stained with HOECHST 33342 (blue) to highlight nuclei and examined by fluorescence microscopy. T cell–rich regions were identified by immunoperoxidase staining with anti-CD3 mAb (brown). Labeled eosinophils were visible in the marginal sinus and the subcapsular region at 8 hours after instillation (a) and started to stream through the subcapsular sinus moving into the paracortical area at 16 hours (b). By 24 hours labeled eosinophils were predominantly located in the T-cell area, whereas few eosinophils were located in B-cell areas and in the subcapsular sinus (c, d). c and d are images of the same section for comparison. (Originally ×250.)