Boles Kent S, Vermi William, Facchetti Fabio, Fuchs Anja, Wilson Timothy J, Diacovo Thomas G, Cella Marina, Colonna Marco
Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Eur J Immunol. 2009 Mar;39(3):695-703. doi: 10.1002/eji.200839116.
Nectins and Nectin-like molecules (Necl) play a critical role in cell polarity within epithelia and in the nervous and reproductive systems. Recently, immune receptors specific for Nectins/Necl have been described. Since the expression and distribution of Nectins/Necl is often subverted during tumorigenesis, it has been suggested that the immune system may use these receptors to recognize and eliminate tumors. Here we describe a novel immunoreceptor, Washington University Cell Adhesion Molecule, which is expressed on human follicular B helper T cells (TFH) and binds a Nectin/Necl family member, the poliovirus receptor (PVR), under both static and flow conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PVR is abundantly expressed by follicular DC (FDC) within the germinal center. These results reveal a novel molecular interaction that mediates adhesion of TFH to FDC and provide the first evidence that immune receptors for Nectins/Necl may be involved the generation of T cell-dependent antibody responses.
NECTIN 蛋白和 NECTIN 样分子（Necl）在上皮细胞以及神经和生殖系统的细胞极性中发挥关键作用。最近，已经描述了针对 NECTIN 蛋白/Necl 的免疫受体。由于 NECTIN 蛋白/Necl 的表达和分布在肿瘤发生过程中常常被颠覆，因此有人提出免疫系统可能利用这些受体来识别和消除肿瘤。在这里，我们描述了一种新型免疫受体，即华盛顿大学细胞粘附分子，它在人滤泡辅助性 B 细胞（TFH）上表达，并在静态和流动条件下均能结合 NECTIN 蛋白/Necl 家族成员脊髓灰质炎病毒受体（PVR）。此外，我们证明生发中心内的滤泡树突状细胞（FDC）大量表达 PVR。这些结果揭示了一种介导 TFH 与 FDC 粘附的新型分子相互作用，并首次证明 NECTIN 蛋白/Necl 的免疫受体可能参与了 T 细胞依赖性抗体反应的产生。
