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Cambridge Immunology Network

 

Immune complexes stimulate CCR7-dependent dendritic cell migration to lymph nodes in Nature Medicine this week

Menna Clatworthy, Rebeccah Mathews, Ken Smith and co-authors are in Nature Medicine this week! "Immune complexes stimulate CCR7-dependent dendritic cell migration to lymph nodes" demonstrate that FcγR engagement by IgG immune complexes (ICs) stimulates DC migration from peripheral tissues to the paracortex of draining lymph nodes. Using intravital two-photon microscopy, they observed that local administration of IC resulted in dermal DC mobilization.  Dermal DC migration to lymph nodes depends on CCR7 and increases in the absence of the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB. These observations have relevance to autoimmunity because autoantibody-containing serum from humans with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and from a mouse model of SLE also increased dermal DC migration in vivo, suggesting that this process may occur in lupus, potentially driving the inappropriate localization of autoantigen-bearing DCs.