A new technique of multiplex quantitative tissue imaging has now allowed the mapping of dendritic cell (DC) subsets in steady-state lymph nodes. Histo-cytometry involves the use of fluorescence-conjugated antibodies, three-dimensional confocal microscopy and mathematical algorithms to quantitatively visualize various cell populations. Imaging of lymphocyte populations and antigen-induced T cell activation in the lymph nodes established histo-cytometry as a powerful method. So, the authors then used it to trace DC subsets in lymph nodes. Migratory CD11b+ DCs were found in the interfollicular zone, and resident CD8+ DCs, Langerhans cells and migratory CD103+ DCs localized in the T cell zone, whereas resident CD11b+ DCs were more predominant in the lymphatic zone. The compartmentalization of DCs reflects their recruitment by specific local cues and may determine the nature of presented antigens and co-stimulation, thereby influencing the type of T cell responses triggered by each DC subset.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Gerner, M. Y. et al. Histo-cytometry: a method for highly multiplex quantitative tissue imaging analysis applied to dendritic cell subset microanatomy in lymph nodes. Immunity 37, 364–376 (2012)
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Papatriantafyllou, M. Immune cell cartography. Nat Rev Immunol 12, 683 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3316
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3316