GROUP
The lymph node stroma was for long known to play a supportive and structural role in the immune system. However, it has become clear over the last few years that lymph node stromal cells are also able to play an active role in the regulation of the immune response, partly by directly interacting with T lymphocytes. We seek to understand by which mechanisms lymphatic endothelial cells are able to sample antigens and present them to T cells, and how these mechanisms are influenced by the lymph node microenvironment. We use both in vivo and in vitro approaches to understand what parameters affect the sampling and presentation of antigens by lymphatic endothelial cells. A better understanding of the immunomodulatory functions of lymphatic endothelial cells could lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the refinement of cancer immunotherapies.
Selected Publications
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"TGF-β Signaling Prevents MHC Class II-Expressing Lymphatic Endothelial Cells from Reactivating Human Allogenic Memory CD4+ T Cells", Mezyk-Kopec R, Potin L, Gomez Medellin JE, Salles CM, Swartz MA. . J Immunol. 2023 Sep 1;211(5):782-790. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200216. PMID: 37486193; PMCID: PMC11155268.
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“Lymph node stromal cells acquire peptide-MHCII complexes from dendritic cells and induce antigen-specific CD4+ T cell tolerance”, J. Dubrot, F. V. Duraes, L. Potin, F. Capotosti, D. Brighouse, T. Suter, S. LeibundGut-Landmann, N. Garbi, W. Reith, M. A. Swartz, S. Hugues. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2014.
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“Steady-State Antigen Scavenging, Cross-Presentation, and CD8+ T cell Priming: A New Role for Lymphatic Endothelial Cells”, S. Hirosue, E. Vokali, V. R. Raghavan, M. Rincon-Restrepo, A. W. Lund, P. Corthésy-Henrioud, F. Capotosti, C. Halin Winter, S. Hugues, M. A. Swartz. The Journal of Immunology, 2014.