Understanding of Immune System by Visualization of Spatiotemporal Regulation of Immune Cells in the Entire Body

Abstract

Immune system is high-dimensional integrated system distributed in the whole body. Many kinds of, total 10(11) of immune cells are regulated by receiving appropriate signals in appropriate places. We have been attempting to understand immune system by revealing spatiotemporal regulation of immune cells at the whole body level by "Visualization of immune response in vivo". Photoconvertible protein, "Kaede"-Tg mice allowed us to monitor cell-replacement and cell-movement in the whole body by marking cells with color of Kaede from green to red with exposure to violet light. It is applicable to small cell number populations in both lymphoid organs and also peripheral tissues under both normal and pathophysiological conditions. By using this system, we have demonstrated novel findings that "Naive CD4(+) T cell recirculation is an active process that they recirculate through lymphoid organs to seek limited niche for interacting with endogenous antigens and upregulate their function." and "Activated regulatory T cells emigrating from cutaneous immune response is responsible for termination of immune reponse." I will introduce these new tools of us and would like to discuss what is needed to understand immune system in the entire body.