Sinusendothel-/Virgultumzellen in normalen und pathologisch veränderten menschlichen Lymphknoten. Morphologische Befunde und immunhistochemische Markerprofile

The lymph node sinus are channel structures of definite importance in immunology and pathology, specifically in the filtering of the lymph, the transport and processing of antigens, the adhesion and migration of immune cells, and the spread of metastatic cancer cells. Knowledge of the cell and molecular biology of the sinus-forming cells is still limited, and the origin and biological nature of these cells have long been a matter of debate. The dissertation summarizes the relevant literature and presents experimental results, in particular concerning molecular markers of intercellular junctions and cell differentiation. It is shown that both the monolayer cells lining the sinus walls and the intraluminal virgultar cell meshwork are indeed different morphotypes of the same basic endothelial cell character, as demonstrated by the presence of a distinct spectrum of general and lymphatic endothelial markers. These sinus endothelial/virgultar cells (SEVCs) form a tight three-dimensional virgultar network along extracellular guidance structures. The network might be considered a local and specific modification of the general lymphatic vasculature system. Physiological and pathological alterations of SEVC network are presented and discussed.