Hematopoietic Organs (hematopoietic + organ)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The liver as a crucial organ in the first line of host defense: the roles of Kupffer cells, natural killer (NK) cells and NK1.1 Ag+ T cells in T helper 1 immune responses

IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2000
Shuhji Seki
Summary: The liver remains a hematopoietic organ after birth and can produce all leukocyte lineages from resident hematopoietic stem cells. Hepatocytes produce acute phase proteins and complement in bacterial infections. Liver Kupffer cells are activated by various bacterial stimuli, including bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and bacterial superantigens, and produce interleukin (IL)-12. IL-12 and other monokines (IL-18 etc.) produced by Kupffer cells activate liver natural killer (NK) cells and NK1.1 Ag+ T cells to produce interferon-g and thereby acquire cytotoxicity against tumors and microbe-infected cells. These liver leukocytes and the T helper 1 immune responses induced by them thus play a crucial role in the first line of defense against bacterial infections and hematogenous tumor metastases. However, if this defense system is inadequately activated, shock associated with multiple organ failure takes place. Activated liver NK1.1 Ag+ T cells and NK cells also cause hepatocyte injury. NK1.1 Ag+ T cells and another T-cell subset with an intermediate T-cell receptor, CD122+CD8+ T cells, can develop independently of thymic epithelial cells. Liver NK cells and NK1.1 Ag+ T cells physiologically develop in situ from their precursors, presumably due to bacterial antigens brought from the intestine via the portal vein. NK cells activated by bacterial superantigens or LPS are also probably involved in the vascular endothelial injury in Kawasaki disease. [source]


Major sites for the differentiation of V,14+ NKT cells inferred from the V-J junctional sequences of the invariant T-cell receptor ,,chain

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 1 2001
Michio Shimamura
CD1d-restricted mouse NK1.1+ TCR,,+ natural killer T (NKT) cells predominantly use an invariant TCR ,,chain encoded by V,14 and J,281 gene segments with a one-nucleotide N region. We found that NKT cells generated in the culture of fetal liver precursors possessed V,14-J,281 junctions that could be produced without the action of terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (TdT), indicating that NKT cells derived from fetal liver precursors are distinguishable from those from adult precursors with TdT expression. In fact, the frequency of the fetal-form sequences decreased with ageing. Surprisingly, the fetal-type sequences were predominantly observed in the lymphoid organs of athymic mice with the exception of bone marrow, where a sequence peculiar to the organ, with TdT-involved conversion from the invariant junction, was frequently present. These findings suggest that there are two independent sites of V,14+ NKT cell development, the hematopoietic organs throughout life (the developing liver and adult bone marrow) and, principally, the mature thymus. [source]


Physiological functions of hemocytes newly emerged from the cultured hematopoietic organs in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

INSECT SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
Cheng-Long Wang
Abstract, Cellular immunity is a very important part of insect innate immunity. It is not clear if hemocytes entering the hemolymph require a maturation process to become competent. The establishment of a tissue culture system for the insect hematopoietic organs would enable physiological function assays with hemocytes newly emerged from hematopoietic organs. To this end, we established a hematopoietic organ culture system for the purebred silkworm pnd pS and then studied the physiological functions of the newly emerged hemocytes. We found that Grace's medium supplemented with 10% heated silkworm larval plasma was better for culturing the hematopoietic organs of pnd pS. Newly emerged hemocytes phagocytosed propidium iodide-labeled bacteria and encapsulated the Iml-2 coated nickel beads as well as pupal tissue debris. This culture system is therefore capable of generating physiologically functional hemocytes. These hemocytes can be used to study the mechanisms of the hemocyte immune response among others. [source]


Spontaneous neoplasia in the baboon (Papio spp.)

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
Rachel E. Cianciolo
Abstract Background, There are several comprehensive reviews of spontaneous neoplasia in non-human primates that compile individual cases or small numbers of cases, but do not provide statistical analysis of tumor incidence, demographics, or epidemiology. Methods, This paper reports all spontaneous neoplasms (n = 363) diagnosed over a 15-year period in a baboon colony with an average annual colony population of 4000. Results, A total of 363 spontaneous neoplasms were diagnosed in 313 baboons: 77 cases were males (25%) and 236 were females (75%); ages ranged from 1 month to 33 years (mean 16.5, median 17). Conclusions, The organ systems affected in descending order of number of neoplasms were hematopoietic organs (n = 101, 28%), urogenital tract (n = 78, 21%), integument (n = 43, 12%), alimentary tract (n = 43, 12%), endocrine organs (n = 40, 11%), nervous system (n = 33, 9%), musculoskeletal system (n = 5, 1%), and respiratory system (n = 4, 1%). Malignant cases numbered 171 (47%); 192 (53%) cases were benign. [source]