Publication
Title
In situ proximity of CX3CR1-positive mononuclear phagocytes and VIP-ergic nerve fibers suggests VIP-ergic immunomodulation in the mouse ileum
Author
Abstract
Being continuously exposed to a plethora of antigens ranging from food antigens to potential pathogenic organisms, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors the largest collection of immune cells in the mammalian body. This immune system has to maintain a delicate balance between mounting an active immune response and maintaining tolerance. The GI tract is also home to an elaborate intrinsic nervous system, the enteric nervous system (ENS). Various in vitro studies of neuro-immune communication have suggested that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), an important GI neurotransmitter, modulates mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs), i.e., dendritic cells and macrophages. Using a combined approach of reverse transcription plus the polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, three-dimensional maximum intensity projections and immunoelectron microscopy, we investigate the interaction between the enteric innervation and MNPs in the ileal lamina propria (LP). We demonstrate that VIP-ergic fibers of the ENS lie adjacent to CX3CR1(+) MNPs and that VPAC1 is constitutively expressed on ileal CX3CR1+ cells in the LP of the mouse. We also identify, for the first time, CX3CR1(+) immune cells in the LP at the ultrastructural level. Our data thus reveal the in situ presence of the molecular components that are necessary for a VIP-mediated neuro-immune interaction between the ENS and CX3CR1-expressing immune cells in the LP of the ileum.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Cell and tissue research. - Berlin, 1974, currens
Publication
Berlin : Springer , 2017
ISSN
0302-766X [print]
1432-0878 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S00441-017-2578-Z
Volume/pages
368 :3 (2017) , p. 459-467
ISI
000401328400004
Pubmed ID
28190088
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Mas-related gene receptors as new mediators of gastrointestinal neuro-immune communication.
Role of dendritic cells in Th1/Th17-mediated immune diseases.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 12.06.2017
Last edited 04.03.2024
To cite this reference