Our skin is one of our major defences against disease, providing a barrier to pathogens and a home to epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs) and dermal dendritic cells (DCs). These professional antigen-presenting cells alert the immune system to invading pathogens by taking antigens from the skin to nearby lymph nodes, a journey that is hindered by intervening collagen-dense tissues. Mario Colombo and colleagues now report that SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine), a matricellular protein that regulates collagen deposition in tissue stroma, modulates LC and DC migration in vivo (see p. 3685). The authors show first that the migration of these cells in SPARC-null mice is faster than in wild-type mice. Experiments in chimeric mice demonstrate that this increased migration is due to the host environment and that the lack of SPARC accelerates contact- and delayed-type hypersensitivity and T-cell priming. Thus, stromal SPARC expression, by determining the tightness of the extracellular matrix, influences the migration of LCs and DCs and hence the speed at which the immune system responds to invading pathogens.
SPARCing an immune response
SPARCing an immune response. J Cell Sci 15 August 2005; 118 (16): e1601. doi:
Download citation file:
Advertisement
Cited by
Call for papers: Cell and Tissue Polarity
-PolarityCFP.png?versionId=4805)
We are welcoming submissions for our next special issue, which will focus on ‘Cell and tissue polarity’ and will be guest edited by David Bryant. Submission deadline: 15 July.
The Forest of Biologists

We are excited to announce the launch of The Forest of Biologists, a new biodiversity initiative created with support from the Woodland Trust, aiming to counteract nature loss and safeguard some of the most critically endangered ecosystems for future generations. For every Research Article and Review/Commentary article that is published in JEB (and our sister journals Development, Journal of Cell Science, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open), a native tree is planted in a forest in the UK.
Propose a new Workshop for 2025

Do you have an idea for a Workshop? We are now accepting proposals for our 2025 Biologists Workshops programme. As the scientific organiser, your involvement will be focused on the science. We'll take care of all the logistics. In 2025 we'll continue our efforts to diversify our Workshop programme and will be reserving one of our Workshops for an application from a Global South (GS) country to host an event overseas.
Editorial: Publishing where it matters
Editor-in-Chief Michael Way outlines Journal of Cell Science’s plans for the upcoming year and introduces Seema Grewal as our new Executive Editor.
Cell Scientists to Watch

As a community-focused journal, Journal of Cell Science is keen to support the next generation of cell biologists. Check out Cell Scientists to Watch, our interview series featuring talented researchers who have recently set up their own labs.