TY - JOUR
T1 - Features of follicular dendritic cells in ovine pharyngeal tonsil
T2 - An in vivo and in vitro study in the context of scrapie pathogenesis
AU - Toppets, Vinciane
AU - Defaweux, Valerie
AU - Piret, Joelle
AU - Kirschvink, Nathalie
AU - Grobet, Luc
AU - Antoine, Nadine
PY - 2011/5/15
Y1 - 2011/5/15
N2 - Although the alimentary tract has been suggested as the most likely portal of entry in natural scrapie, a growing amount of data indicates that the respiratory system and more specifically the pharyngeal tonsils serve as a natural portal of entry for scrapie.This study describes for the first time the broad cell populations in the lymphoid compartment of pharyngeal tonsils and more specifically inside the lymphoid follicles where the scrapie agent accumulates during the period of latency.Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), stromal cells located in the light zone of the germinal centre of lymphoid follicles, seem to be the principal causal factor in the accumulation of the infectious agent in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases. Knowing that efficient lymphoreticular prion propagation requires PrPc expression, we analysed the expression of PrPc with the mouse monoclonal antibody Pri 909 both in situ and on FDC-cluster-enriched cell suspensions.In situ, a positive staining was observed in the germinal centre of pharyngeal lymph follicles. The germinal centre labelling was due to the presence of a follicular dendritic network as revealed after immunogold staining of isolated FDC clusters. Our results suggest that the pharyngeal lymphoreticular system and more specifically PrPc expressing follicular dendritic cells could serve as a prion " reservoir" during the latency phase, thus playing a key role during the scrapie lymphoinvasion.
AB - Although the alimentary tract has been suggested as the most likely portal of entry in natural scrapie, a growing amount of data indicates that the respiratory system and more specifically the pharyngeal tonsils serve as a natural portal of entry for scrapie.This study describes for the first time the broad cell populations in the lymphoid compartment of pharyngeal tonsils and more specifically inside the lymphoid follicles where the scrapie agent accumulates during the period of latency.Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), stromal cells located in the light zone of the germinal centre of lymphoid follicles, seem to be the principal causal factor in the accumulation of the infectious agent in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases. Knowing that efficient lymphoreticular prion propagation requires PrPc expression, we analysed the expression of PrPc with the mouse monoclonal antibody Pri 909 both in situ and on FDC-cluster-enriched cell suspensions.In situ, a positive staining was observed in the germinal centre of pharyngeal lymph follicles. The germinal centre labelling was due to the presence of a follicular dendritic network as revealed after immunogold staining of isolated FDC clusters. Our results suggest that the pharyngeal lymphoreticular system and more specifically PrPc expressing follicular dendritic cells could serve as a prion " reservoir" during the latency phase, thus playing a key role during the scrapie lymphoinvasion.
KW - Anti-FDC antibodies
KW - Follicular dendritic cell
KW - Pharyngeal tonsil
KW - Scrapie
KW - Sheep
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79953332117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.vetimm.2011.01.014
DO - 10.1016/j.vetimm.2011.01.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 21353313
AN - SCOPUS:79953332117
SN - 0165-2427
VL - 141
SP - 26
EP - 32
JO - Veterinary immunology and immunopathology
JF - Veterinary immunology and immunopathology
IS - 1-2
ER -