The Interplay Between Lymphatic Vessels and Chemokines

Conclusions Lymphatic vessels, like blood vessels, are a highly interactive surface for cells of the immune system, and through the use of chemokines and their receptors can coordinate key interactions. These pathways can control the entry and function of particular immune subsets in a number of pathological conditions. Nonetheless LECs have distinct patterns of chemokine secretion and expression of chemokine receptors that distinguish them from the blood vessel system and mediate distinct roles and responses. The abundance and diversity of the chemokine family point to the likelihood that a plethora of novel chemokine functions and interactions remain to be discovered. Of note, several recent studies have undertaken differential expression profiling of LECs by microarray in a range of different pathologies, revealing multiple chemokines with as-yet undefined roles in disease (Table 2). These studies are complemented by in vitro analyses examining chemokines and receptors upregulated in LECs by specific stimuli (46, 60, 88). The emerging data suggests that chemokines and their receptors play a complex role in helping coordinate the movement of LECs and interactive circulatory cells in both normal development and a range of pathological conditions. Author Contributions RF and SS conceived the review. RF, TK, SiM, ScM, and SS wrote and edited the manuscript. Funding The authors are funded by a Program grant from the Australian NHMRC (1053535), which supports the overall wo...
Source: Frontiers in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research