Department of Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Department of Oncology Bioinformatics, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Nat Immunol. 2021 May;22(5):571-585. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-00920-6. Epub 2021 Apr 26.
Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are specialized stromal cells that define tissue architecture and regulate lymphocyte compartmentalization, homeostasis, and innate and adaptive immunity in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs). In the present study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of human and mouse lymph nodes (LNs) to identify a subset of T cell-zone FRCs defined by the expression of Gremlin1 (Grem1) in both species. Grem1-CreER knock-in mice enabled localization, multi-omics characterization and genetic depletion of Grem1 FRCs. Grem1 FRCs primarily localize at T-B cell junctions of SLOs, neighboring pre-dendritic cells and conventional dendritic cells (cDCs). As such, their depletion resulted in preferential loss and decreased homeostatic proliferation and survival of resident cDCs and compromised T cell immunity. Trajectory analysis of human LN scRNA-seq data revealed expression similarities to murine FRCs, with GREM1 cells marking the endpoint of both trajectories. These findings illuminate a new Grem1 fibroblastic niche in LNs that functions to maintain the homeostasis of lymphoid tissue-resident cDCs.
纤维母细胞网状细胞(FRCs)是一种特化的基质细胞,其定义了组织架构,并调节次级淋巴器官(SLO)中淋巴细胞的区室化、稳态以及固有和适应性免疫。在本研究中,我们利用人类和小鼠淋巴结的单细胞 RNA 测序(scRNA-seq)技术,鉴定出了一个在两个物种中均由 Gremlin1(Grem1)表达定义的 T 细胞区室 FRC 亚群。Grem1-CreER 基因敲入小鼠可用于定位、多组学特征分析和 Grem1 FRC 的遗传耗竭。Grem1 FRC 主要位于 SLO 的 T-B 细胞连接处,临近前树突状细胞和常规树突状细胞(cDC)。因此,它们的耗竭导致常驻 cDC 的优先丢失、稳态增殖和存活减少,并损害 T 细胞免疫。对人类 LN scRNA-seq 数据的轨迹分析显示与小鼠 FRCs 具有表达相似性,其中 GREM1 细胞标记了两条轨迹的终点。这些发现阐明了 LN 中一个新的 Grem1 纤维母细胞生态位,其功能是维持淋巴组织常驻 cDC 的稳态。
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