Lymph nodes (LNs), linked by lymphatic vessel, distributed widely throughout the body, are the major secondary lymphoid organs of the immune system. They are small nodular organized aggregates of T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and stromal cells such as endothelial cells and fibroblastic cells. LNs are important in the proper functioning of the immune system. LNs maintain active homeostasis at steady state. Under various pathological conditions, such as infection, inflammation, cancer and autoimmune disease, substantial remodeling of LNs occurs including changes of blood and lymph flow, lymphocytes and dendritic cell migration, lymphatic and vascular activation status and growth, LN morphology and micro-organization, etc.  The biological function of LNs homeostasis and remodeling and the underlying mechanisms have been the hot topics in the field of immunology.

Dr. Mingzhao Zhu, from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been dedicated to the research about the development and function of lymphoid organs. In collaboration with Dr. Yang-Xin Fu from the University of Chicago, he has systemically investigated the important role of lymphotoxin beta receptor and NF-kappaB signaling pathway in the development and function of thymic epithelial cells, thymocytes migration during their development, T cell central tolerance and autoimmunity, LNs remodeling and leukocytes trafficking during inflammation, etc. Their work has been published on many high-profile journals including Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Immunology, P.N.A.S., etc. Their contribution to the field has also been widely accepted and they are invited for review articles by Immunity, Trends in Immunology, and Cellular and Molecular Immunology.  

Their recent preview article entitled with “Deflating the Lymph Node” invited by Immunity reviewed the current understanding of how lymphatic vessels are remodeled during inflammation, analyzed its potential biological functions and impacts, pointed out the remaining issues and future directions. They hypothesized that while B cell derived lymphotoxin signaling promotes lymphatic endothelial cells growth at early stage of local inflammation, which favor induction of optimal adaptive immune response, at later stage, it is T cell derived interferon gamma that helps the resolution of lymphatic vessels, which would otherwise lead to over-activated immune response and immune pathological damage to the tissue. This work was published in the January issue of Immunity.

 Figure. Dynamic regulation of lymphatic vessels by distinct immune cells.( by Dr. Mingzhao Zhu etc.)

"Deflating the Lymph Node",　 http://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(11)00006-9