Marginal zone
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The marginal zone is the region at the interface between the non-lymphoid
red pulp The red pulp of the spleen is composed of connective tissue known also as the cords of Billroth and many splenic sinusoids that are engorged with blood, giving it a red color. Its primary function is to filter the blood of antigens, microorgani ...
and the
lymphoid The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid o ...
white-pulp of the
spleen The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes .
. (Some sources consider it to be the part of red pulp which borders on the white pulp, while other sources consider it to be neither red pulp nor white pulp.) A marginal zone also exists in
lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that inclu ...
s.


Structure

It is composed of cells derived primarily from the
myeloid Myeloid tissue, in the bone marrow sense of the word '' myeloid'' ('' myelo-'' + ''-oid''), is tissue of bone marrow, of bone marrow cell lineage, or resembling bone marrow, and myelogenous tissue (''myelo-'' + '' -genous'') is any tissue of, ...
compartment of
bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid tissue found within the spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It is composed of hematopoietic ce ...
differentiation. More recently, a population of neutrophil-killers has been described to populate peripheral areas of the marginal zone. At least three distinct cellular markers can be used to identify cells of the marginal zone, MOMA-1, ERTR-9 and
MARCO Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish c ...
.


Blood flow

The marginal zone (MZ) is a highly transited area that receives large amounts of blood from the general circulation. Remarkably, the splenic
microvasculature The microcirculation is the circulation of the blood in the smallest blood vessels, the microvessels of the microvasculature present within organ tissues. The microvessels include terminal arterioles, metarterioles, capillaries, and venules. ...
shows striking differences in mice and humans. In humans, the spleen receives blood from the splenic artery, which branches into
central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and penicillar arterioles. Owing to the absence of a histologically defined
marginal sinus Marginal may refer to: * ''Marginal'' (album), the third album of the Belgian rock band Dead Man Ray, released in 2001 * ''Marginal'' (manga) * '' El Marginal'', Argentine TV series * Marginal seat or marginal constituency or marginal, in polit ...
, the blood flowing in penicillar arterioles directly drains into capillaries of the red pulp and perifollicular zone. The perifollicular zone is a well-defined area of decreased resistance that separates the MZ from the red pulp. Both the perifollicular zone and the red pulp consist of an
open circulatory system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...
of blood-filled spaces known as splenic cords, which have no defined endothelial delimitation and are in close contact with the
venous sinusoid Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...
al vessels of the red pulp.


Function

The major role of marginal zone is to trap
particulate Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...
antigen In immunology, an antigen (Ag) is a molecule or molecular structure or any foreign particulate matter or a pollen grain that can bind to a specific antibody or T-cell receptor. The presence of antigens in the body may trigger an immune response. ...
from the circulation and present the antigen to the lymphocytes of the spleen. Experiments have shown that inert
latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...
beads A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...
as well as live bacteria such as
Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escher ...
and
Listeria monocytogenes ''Listeria monocytogenes'' is the species of pathogenic bacteria that causes the infection listeriosis. It is a facultative anaerobic bacterium, capable of surviving in the presence or absence of oxygen. It can grow and reproduce inside the host' ...
are trapped by the marginal zone. However, only
immunogenic Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal. It may be wanted or unwanted: * Wanted immunogenicity typically relates to vaccines, where the injectio ...
substances, i.e.
bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
, are trafficked to the T and B cell zones of the white-pulp and are efficiently presented to elicit an immune response.


Lymphocytes

Marginal zone
lymphocyte A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell (leukocyte) in the immune system of most vertebrates. Lymphocytes include natural killer cells (which function in cell-mediated, cytotoxic innate immunity), T cells (for cell-mediated, cytotoxic ad ...
s are a type of
B cell B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell of the lymphocyte subtype. They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system. B cells produce antibody molecules which may be either secreted or ...
(
Marginal-zone B cell Marginal zone B cells (MZ B cells) are noncirculating mature B cells that in humans segregate anatomically into the marginal zone (MZ) of the spleen and certain other types of lymphoid tissue. The MZ B cells within this region typically express lo ...
, abbreviated "MZ B cell") created there, capable of binding
IgM Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is one of several isotypes of antibody (also known as immunoglobulin) that are produced by vertebrates. IgM is the largest antibody, and it is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antig ...
-antigen complexes. They are notable for their ability to serve several different roles in the
immune system The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinte ...
. MZ B cells express polyreactive BCRs that bind to multiple microbial molecular patterns.


Marginal Zone Macrophages

Within the marginal zone there exists two types of macrophages that are unique to this area: the marginal zone macrophages and the marginal metallophilic macrophages. These two macrophage sub-types are characterized by the expression of SIGN-R1 on the marginal zone macrophages and CD169 (siglec-1, sialoadhesin) on the marginal metallophilic macrophages. In addition to the marginal zone B-cells that normally reside there, a number of other cell types that are present in the blood pass through the marginal zone e.g. lymphocytes and granulocytes. In addition, a large number of dendritic cells are thought to reside temporarily in the marginal zone before migrating into the white pulp following stimulation and antigen uptake, as well as a large number of lymphocytes remaining in the marginal zone for a period of time during the process of transmigration into the white pulp. It can be assumed that both of these cells will interact with the marginal zone macrophages. Recent studies have shown that the marginal zone macrophages possess both important innate functions, as well as being able to promote adaptive immune responses, so these macrophages can bridge the innate and adaptive immunity. The marginal zone macrophages have a variety of functions, one of which is the phagocytosis of blood-borne pathogens. Because of the anatomy of the marginal zone, the blood within it slows down and therefore the pathogens present in the systemic circulation are phagocytosed by both marginal zone macrophages. There is limited data regarding the specific roles of these two macrophage subsets in the uptake and eradication of pathogens. However there is evidence and reports that show there is a specific involvement of the various pathogen receptors on the marginal zone macrophages in recognising and eliminating certain pathogens, especially encapsulated bacteria. For example, the C-type lectin SIGN-R1 receptor (present on the marginal zone macrophages), mediates the recognition of pneumococcal saccharides and is necessary for ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'' clearance. Furthermore, both types of marginal zone macrophages in the clearance and degradation of viruses e.g. cowpox virus and adenovirus serotype 5. Evidence has shown that the clearance of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus by marginal zone macrophages is crucial to prevent the spreading of viral infections to peripheral organs.


See also

*
Marginal zone B-cell lymphoma Marginal zone B-cell lymphomas, also known as marginal zone lymphomas (MZLs), are a heterogeneous group of lymphomas that derive from the malignant transformation of marginal zone B-cells. Marginal zone B cells are innate lymphoid cells that no ...
*
Humoral immunity Humoral immunity is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by macromolecules - including secreted antibodies, complement proteins, and certain antimicrobial peptides - located in extracellular fluids. Humoral immunity is named so because it in ...


References


External links

* *
Marginal zone lymphomas
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marginal Zone Spleen (anatomy)