TY - JOUR AB - Lymph nodes (LNs) comprise two main structural elements: fibroblastic reticular cells that form dedicated niches for immune cell interaction and capsular fibroblasts that build a shell around the organ. Immunological challenge causes LNs to increase more than tenfold in size within a few days. Here, we characterized the biomechanics of LN swelling on the cellular and organ scale. We identified lymphocyte trapping by influx and proliferation as drivers of an outward pressure force, causing fibroblastic reticular cells of the T-zone (TRCs) and their associated conduits to stretch. After an initial phase of relaxation, TRCs sensed the resulting strain through cell matrix adhesions, which coordinated local growth and remodeling of the stromal network. While the expanded TRC network readopted its typical configuration, a massive fibrotic reaction of the organ capsule set in and countered further organ expansion. Thus, different fibroblast populations mechanically control LN swelling in a multitier fashion. AU - Assen, Frank P AU - Abe, Jun AU - Hons, Miroslav AU - Hauschild, Robert AU - Shamipour, Shayan AU - Kaufmann, Walter AU - Costanzo, Tommaso AU - Krens, Gabriel AU - Brown, Markus AU - Ludewig, Burkhard AU - Hippenmeyer, Simon AU - Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J AU - Weninger, Wolfgang AU - Hannezo, Edouard B AU - Luther, Sanjiv A. AU - Stein, Jens V. AU - Sixt, Michael K ID - 9794 JF - Nature Immunology SN - 1529-2908 TI - Multitier mechanics control stromal adaptations in swelling lymph nodes VL - 23 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) release extracellular chemokines to guide the migration of dendritic cells. In this study, we report that LECs also release basolateral exosome-rich endothelial vesicles (EEVs) that are secreted in greater numbers in the presence of inflammatory cytokines and accumulate in the perivascular stroma of small lymphatic vessels in human chronic inflammatory diseases. Proteomic analyses of EEV fractions identified > 1,700 cargo proteins and revealed a dominant motility-promoting protein signature. In vitro and ex vivo EEV fractions augmented cellular protrusion formation in a CX3CL1/fractalkine-dependent fashion and enhanced the directional migratory response of human dendritic cells along guidance cues. We conclude that perilymphatic LEC exosomes enhance exploratory behavior and thus promote directional migration of CX3CR1-expressing cells in complex tissue environments. AU - Brown, Markus AU - Johnson, Louise AU - Leone, Dario AU - Májek, Peter AU - Vaahtomeri, Kari AU - Senfter, Daniel AU - Bukosza, Nora AU - Schachner, Helga AU - Asfour, Gabriele AU - Langer, Brigitte AU - Hauschild, Robert AU - Parapatics, Katja AU - Hong, Young AU - Bennett, Keiryn AU - Kain, Renate AU - Detmar, Michael AU - Sixt, Michael K AU - Jackson, David AU - Kerjaschki, Dontscho ID - 275 IS - 6 JF - Journal of Cell Biology TI - Lymphatic exosomes promote dendritic cell migration along guidance cues VL - 217 ER - TY - JOUR AB - During metastasis, malignant cells escape the primary tumor, intravasate lymphatic vessels, and reach draining sentinel lymph nodes before they colonize distant organs via the blood circulation. Although lymph node metastasis in cancer patients correlates with poor prognosis, evidence is lacking as to whether and how tumor cells enter the bloodstream via lymph nodes. To investigate this question, we delivered carcinoma cells into the lymph nodes of mice by microinfusing the cells into afferent lymphatic vessels. We found that tumor cells rapidly infiltrated the lymph node parenchyma, invaded blood vessels, and seeded lung metastases without involvement of the thoracic duct. These results suggest that the lymph node blood vessels can serve as an exit route for systemic dissemination of cancer cells in experimental mouse models. Whether this form of tumor cell spreading occurs in cancer patients remains to be determined. AU - Brown, Markus AU - Assen, Frank P AU - Leithner, Alexander F AU - Abe, Jun AU - Schachner, Helga AU - Asfour, Gabriele AU - Bagó Horváth, Zsuzsanna AU - Stein, Jens AU - Uhrin, Pavel AU - Sixt, Michael K AU - Kerjaschki, Dontscho ID - 402 IS - 6382 JF - Science TI - Lymph node blood vessels provide exit routes for metastatic tumor cell dissemination in mice VL - 359 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Trafficking cells frequently transmigrate through epithelial and endothelial monolayers. How monolayers cooperate with the penetrating cells to support their transit is poorly understood. We studied dendritic cell (DC) entry into lymphatic capillaries as a model system for transendothelial migration. We find that the chemokine CCL21, which is the decisive guidance cue for intravasation, mainly localizes in the trans-Golgi network and intracellular vesicles of lymphatic endothelial cells. Upon DC transmigration, these Golgi deposits disperse and CCL21 becomes extracellularly enriched at the sites of endothelial cell-cell junctions. When we reconstitute the transmigration process in vitro, we find that secretion of CCL21-positive vesicles is triggered by a DC contact-induced calcium signal, and selective calcium chelation in lymphatic endothelium attenuates transmigration. Altogether, our data demonstrate a chemokine-mediated feedback between DCs and lymphatic endothelium, which facilitates transendothelial migration. AU - Vaahtomeri, Kari AU - Brown, Markus AU - Hauschild, Robert AU - De Vries, Ingrid AU - Leithner, Alexander F AU - Mehling, Matthias AU - Kaufmann, Walter AU - Sixt, Michael K ID - 672 IS - 5 JF - Cell Reports SN - 22111247 TI - Locally triggered release of the chemokine CCL21 promotes dendritic cell transmigration across lymphatic endothelia VL - 19 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Navigation of cells along gradients of guidance cues is a determining step in many developmental and immunological processes. Gradients can either be soluble or immobilized to tissues as demonstrated for the haptotactic migration of dendritic cells (DCs) toward higher concentrations of immobilized chemokine CCL21. To elucidate how gradient characteristics govern cellular response patterns, we here introduce an in vitro system allowing to track migratory responses of DCs to precisely controlled immobilized gradients of CCL21. We find that haptotactic sensing depends on the absolute CCL21 concentration and local steepness of the gradient, consistent with a scenario where DC directionality is governed by the signal-to-noise ratio of CCL21 binding to the receptor CCR7. We find that the conditions for optimal DC guidance are perfectly provided by the CCL21 gradients we measure in vivo. Furthermore, we find that CCR7 signal termination by the G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 6 (GRK6) is crucial for haptotactic but dispensable for chemotactic CCL21 gradient sensing in vitro and confirm those observations in vivo. These findings suggest that stable, tissue-bound CCL21 gradients as sustainable “roads” ensure optimal guidance in vivo. AU - Schwarz, Jan AU - Bierbaum, Veronika AU - Vaahtomeri, Kari AU - Hauschild, Robert AU - Brown, Markus AU - De Vries, Ingrid AU - Leithner, Alexander F AU - Reversat, Anne AU - Merrin, Jack AU - Tarrant, Teresa AU - Bollenbach, Tobias AU - Sixt, Michael K ID - 674 IS - 9 JF - Current Biology SN - 09609822 TI - Dendritic cells interpret haptotactic chemokine gradients in a manner governed by signal to noise ratio and dependent on GRK6 VL - 27 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Hemolysis drives susceptibility to bacterial infections and predicts poor outcome from sepsis. These detrimental effects are commonly considered to be a consequence of heme-iron serving as a nutrient for bacteria. We employed a Gram-negative sepsis model and found that elevated heme levels impaired the control of bacterial proliferation independently of heme-iron acquisition by pathogens. Heme strongly inhibited phagocytosis and the migration of human and mouse phagocytes by disrupting actin cytoskeletal dynamics via activation of the GTP-binding Rho family protein Cdc42 by the guanine nucleotide exchange factor DOCK8. A chemical screening approach revealed that quinine effectively prevented heme effects on the cytoskeleton, restored phagocytosis and improved survival in sepsis. These mechanistic insights provide potential therapeutic targets for patients with sepsis or hemolytic disorders. AU - Martins, Rui AU - Maier, Julia AU - Gorki, Anna AU - Huber, Kilian AU - Sharif, Omar AU - Starkl, Philipp AU - Saluzzo, Simona AU - Quattrone, Federica AU - Gawish, Riem AU - Lakovits, Karin AU - Aichinger, Michael AU - Radic Sarikas, Branka AU - Lardeau, Charles AU - Hladik, Anastasiya AU - Korosec, Ana AU - Brown, Markus AU - Vaahtomeri, Kari AU - Duggan, Michelle AU - Kerjaschki, Dontscho AU - Esterbauer, Harald AU - Colinge, Jacques AU - Eisenbarth, Stephanie AU - Decker, Thomas AU - Bennett, Keiryn AU - Kubicek, Stefan AU - Sixt, Michael K AU - Superti Furga, Giulio AU - Knapp, Sylvia ID - 1142 IS - 12 JF - Nature Immunology TI - Heme drives hemolysis-induced susceptibility to infection via disruption of phagocyte functions VL - 17 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Most migrating cells extrude their front by the force of actin polymerization. Polymerization requires an initial nucleation step, which is mediated by factors establishing either parallel filaments in the case of filopodia or branched filaments that form the branched lamellipodial network. Branches are considered essential for regular cell motility and are initiated by the Arp2/3 complex, which in turn is activated by nucleation-promoting factors of the WASP and WAVE families. Here we employed rapid amoeboid crawling leukocytes and found that deletion of the WAVE complex eliminated actin branching and thus lamellipodia formation. The cells were left with parallel filaments at the leading edge, which translated, depending on the differentiation status of the cell, into a unipolar pointed cell shape or cells with multiple filopodia. Remarkably, unipolar cells migrated with increased speed and enormous directional persistence, while they were unable to turn towards chemotactic gradients. Cells with multiple filopodia retained chemotactic activity but their migration was progressively impaired with increasing geometrical complexity of the extracellular environment. These findings establish that diversified leading edge protrusions serve as explorative structures while they slow down actual locomotion. AU - Leithner, Alexander F AU - Eichner, Alexander AU - Müller, Jan AU - Reversat, Anne AU - Brown, Markus AU - Schwarz, Jan AU - Merrin, Jack AU - De Gorter, David AU - Schur, Florian AU - Bayerl, Jonathan AU - De Vries, Ingrid AU - Wieser, Stefan AU - Hauschild, Robert AU - Lai, Frank AU - Moser, Markus AU - Kerjaschki, Dontscho AU - Rottner, Klemens AU - Small, Victor AU - Stradal, Theresia AU - Sixt, Michael K ID - 1321 JF - Nature Cell Biology TI - Diversified actin protrusions promote environmental exploration but are dispensable for locomotion of leukocytes VL - 18 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Pathogens exert a strong selection pressure on organisms to evolve effective immune defences. In addition to individual immunity, social organisms can act cooperatively to produce collective defences. In many ant species, queens have the option to found a colony alone or in groups with other, often unrelated, conspecifics. These associations are transient, usually lasting only as long as each queen benefits from the presence of others. In fact, once the first workers emerge, queens fight to the death for dominance. One potential advantage of co-founding may be that queens benefit from collective disease defences, such as mutual grooming, that act against common soil pathogens. We test this hypothesis by exposing single and co-founding queens to a fungal parasite, in order to assess whether queens in co-founding associations have improved survival. Surprisingly, co-foundresses exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium did not engage in cooperative disease defences, and consequently, we find no direct benefit of multiple queens on survival. However, an indirect benefit was observed, with parasite-exposed queens producing more brood when they co-founded, than when they were alone. We suggest this is due to a trade-off between reproduction and immunity. Additionally, we report an extraordinary ability of the queens to tolerate an infection for long periods after parasite exposure. Our study suggests that there are no social immunity benefits for co-founding ant queens, but that in parasite-rich environments, the presence of additional queens may nevertheless improve the chances of colony founding success. AU - Pull, Christopher AU - Hughes, William AU - Brown, Markus ID - 2283 IS - 12 JF - Naturwissenschaften TI - Tolerating an infection: an indirect benefit of co-founding queen associations in the ant Lasius niger VL - 100 ER -