1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Do Waldeyer's ring tonsillar tissues function as an inductive site and/or effector site of antigen-specific immune response for systemic immunity and mucosal immunity as well?
| Project/Area Number |
08671964
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Otorhinolaryngology
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| Research Institution | Shimane Medical University |
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Principal Investigator |
IWAMOTO Jun-ichi Shimane Medical Univ. Dept. of Otolaryngology, Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (20284036)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KAWAUCHI Hideaki Shimane Medical Univ. Dept. of Otolaryngology, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (50161279)
URABE Shinpei Shimane Medical Univ. Dept. of Otolaryngology, Assistant (50232921)
SANO Keisuke Shimane Medical Univ. Dept. of Otolaryngology, Assistant (10263542)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1996 – 1998
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| Keywords | tonsil / mucosal immunity / inductive site / effector site / NALT / NOD-scid mice / Phylogeny |
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| Research Abstract |
We examined whether human tonsillar tissues function as an inductive site and/or effector site of antigen-specific immune response for systemic immunity and mucosal immunity as well, by employing experimental studies in mice and pigs and also in a transfer model of human tonsillar lymphocytes into NOD-scid mice. From the phylogenic standpoint, tonsillar tissues locate in different portion of the nasopharynx among different species, but they are commonly provided with squamous or columnar epithelia and crypt formation on the surface and lymphoid follicles and germinal center in the subepithelial region. Lymphoid tissues are composed of B cell and T cell areas. In a couple of animal experiments with immunological and molecular biology technique, it was demonstrated these waldeyer's ring equivalent tissues can be an inductive site of antigen-specific systemic and mucosal immunity and that nasopharyngeal mucosa can be an effector site as well. In transfer experiments of human tonsillar lymphocytes into NOD-scid mice, it was indicated that human tonsils have been continuously stimulated with nasopharyngeal resident microorganisms and therefore tonsillar lymphocytes are able to mount an antigen-specific immune response upon the subsequent antigenic exposure in various distant mucosal sites such as nasopharyngeal mucosae. Furthermore, experimental immunization protocols are still on-going in a syngeneic mini-pig model to have a definite conclusion.
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