Abstract
We examined the in vivo behavior of liver natural killer T cells (NKT cells) by intravital fluorescence microscopic imaging of mice in which a green fluorescent protein cDNA was used to replace the gene encoding the chemokine receptor CXCR6. NKT cells, which account for most CXCR6+ cells in liver, were found to crawl within hepatic sinusoids at 10–20 μm/min and to stop upon T cell antigen receptor activation. CXCR6-deficient mice exhibited a selective and severe reduction of CD1d-reactive NKT cells in the liver and decreased susceptibility to T-cell-dependent hepatitis. CXCL16, the cell surface ligand for CXCR6, is expressed on sinusoidal endothelial cells, and CXCR6 deficiency resulted in reduced survival, but not in altered speed or pattern of patrolling of NKT cells. Thus, NKT cells patrol liver sinusoids to provide intravascular immune surveillance, and CXCR6 contributes to liver-based immune responses by regulating their abundance.
Highlights
In both rodents and humans, the liver is the largest solid organ, and performs critical immunological and metabolic functions
We studied liver CD1d-specific NKT cells using mice in which the cxcr6 coding region was replaced with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) cDNA
GFP expression in cxcr6gfp/þ mice is restricted to subsets of activated/memory T cells [20], including NKT cells [17,23]
Summary
In both rodents and humans, the liver is the largest solid organ, and performs critical immunological and metabolic functions. The liver receives nutrient-rich blood from the gut via the portal vein and oxygenated blood from the hepatic artery. It processes blood to remove toxins, synthesizes the majority of serum proteins and lipids, stores glycogen, and performs extensive lipid, cholesterol, and vitamin chemistry and storage. The liver is thought to provide a unique environment for lymphocytes, favoring tolerogenic immune system responses, possibly to prevent reactivity to harmless food antigens [1]. In response to certain stimuli, acute inflammatory reactions can occur, and result in hepatocyte death (hepatitis) and subsequent regeneration, with progressive fibrosis when stimuli are sustained. Several progressive liver diseases that can lead to liver failure have an autoimmune component [2]
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