Cited by 893Barrier Structure and Function StudiesNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsLymphatic System and Diseases

The movers and shapers in immune privilege of the CNS

Engelhardt, Britta, Vajkoczy, Peter, Weller, Roy O·2017·Nature Immunology

Abstract

Discoveries leading to an improved understanding of immune surveillance of the central nervous system (CNS) have repeatedly provoked dismissal of the existence of immune privilege of the CNS. Recent rediscoveries of lymphatic vessels within the dura mater surrounding the brain, made possible by modern live-cell imaging technologies, have revived this discussion. This review emphasizes the fact that understanding immune privilege of the CNS requires intimate knowledge of its unique anatomy. Endothelial, epithelial and glial brain barriers establish compartments in the CNS that differ strikingly with regard to their accessibility to immune-cell subsets. There is a unique system of lymphatic drainage from the CNS to the peripheral lymph nodes. We summarize current knowledge on the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in immune-cell trafficking and lymphatic drainage from the CNS, and we take into account differences in rodent and human CNS anatomy.

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Crossref · 10.1038/ni.3666

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99 of 99 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The perivascular compartment of human cortex is merely a potential space for movement of solutes.

    “It has been proposed that the perivascular compartment of human cortex is merely a potential space for movement of solutes (32-36), a view that recently was maintained based on observations made in fixed tissue specimens (37).”
  • More recent studies in mice using fluorescent solutes have shown that the brain has its own lymphatic vascular system in the dura mater, which drains interstitial fluid and macromolecules into the deep cervical lymph nodes.

    “More recent studies in mice using fluorescent solutes have shown that brain has its own lymphatic vascular system in the dura matter, which drains ISF and macromolecules into the deep cervical lymph nodes (32, 160, 162, 376).”

    From Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back (2019) · cites this paper as [162]

  • CNS immune responses differ based on anatomical location, with a clear distinction between responses that develop in fluid spaces and membranous lining (meninges) relative to the parenchyma.

    “CNS immune responses differ based on anatomical location, and a clear distinction exists between responses that develop in the fluid spaces and membranous lining (or meninges) relative to the parenchyma (1).”

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Authors
Engelhardt, B., Vajkoczy, P., & Weller, R. O.
Affiliations
  • University of Bern (CH)
  • Stiftung Charité (DE)
  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Engelhardt, Britta
  • Weller, Roy O
Venue
Nature Immunology
Published
2017-01-16
Volume
18
Issue
2
Pages
123-131
ISSN
  • 1529-2908 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2916
OpenAlex
W2573339072
Cited by
893
References
99
Citations by year
2026: 71 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 107 · 2023: 117 · 2022: 113 · 2021: 107 · 2020: 103 · 2019: 63 · 2018: 95 · 2017: 44
FWCI
8.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Immunology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Barrier Structure and Function Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Lymphatic System and Diseases
Keywords
immune privilege, central nervous system, blood-CSF barrier, blood-brain barrier, lymphatic drainage, immune surveillance, intravital microscopy
MeSH terms
Animals, Cell Movement, Central Nervous System, Dura Mater, Humans, Immune Tolerance, Immunologic Surveillance, Physiology, Comparative, Autoimmunity, Microglia, Mice, Rats

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