Lymphoid stromal cells and control of immunity to infection and cancer
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Project Leader
Professor Scott Mueller
+61 3 8344 9044
Project Details
The lymphoid tissues (spleen and lymph nodes) are constructed of a complex microarchitecture that is supported by networks of endothelial and mesenchymal stromal cells. The T cell zones in the spleen and lymph nodes are supported by a complex network of stromal cells (Movie 1). Little is known of the phenotype of these stromal cell subsets and how they can influence the immune cells they regularly interact with. We are examining how lymphoid stromal cells contribute to the functions of the secondary lymphoid organs during immune responses to viral infections and in response to blood cancers and metastatic tumours.
Movie 1: The stromal cell network in the T cell zone of a lymph node.
Research Publications
Alexandre YO, Mueller SN. Stromal cell networks coordinate immune response generation and maintenance. Immunol Rev. 2018; 283(1): 77-85. doi: 10.1111/imr.12641. PMID: 29664562
Mueller SN, Germain RN. Stromal cell contributions to the homeostasis and functionality of the immune system. Nat Rev Immunol. 2009; 9(9): 618-629. doi: 10.1038/nri2588. PMID: 19644499
Gregory JL, Walter A, Alexandre YO, Hor JL, Liu R, Ma JZ, Devi S, Tokuda N, Owada Y, Mackay LK, Smyth GK, Heath WR, Mueller SN. Infection Programs Sustained Lymphoid Stromal Cell Responses and Shapes Lymph Node Remodeling upon Secondary Challenge. Cell Rep. 2017; 18(2): 406-418. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.038. PMID: 28076785
Mueller SN, Matloubian M, Clemens DM, Sharpe AH, Freeman GJ, Gangappa S, Larsen CP, Ahmed R. Viral targeting of fibroblastic reticular cells contributes to immunosuppression and persistence during chronic infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007; 104(39): 15430-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0702579104. PMID: 17878315
Mueller SN, Hosiawa-Meagher KA, Konieczny BT, Sullivan BM, Bachmann MF, Locksley RM, Ahmed R, Matloubian M. Regulation of homeostatic chemokine expression and cell trafficking during immune responses. Science. 2007; 317(5838): 670-4. PMID: 17673664