Control of lymphocyte trafficking and adaptive immunity by adrenergic nerves

Abstract

The nervous and immune systems are the principal organ systems that sense internal and external environments, and evoke adaptive responses to maintain homeostasis. Studies in the past few decades discovered commonalities between the two organ systems. They share many functional molecules and respond to various stimuli with high specificity. Additionally, it has long been suggested that there is also cross-talk between the nervous and immune systems. However, the cellular and molecular basis for neuroimmune interactions has emerged only in the past decade. Adrenergic nerves constitute the efferent arc of the sympathetic nervous system and coordinate organ functions in the entire body. Recently, studies have shown that adrenergic nerves regulate the trafficking of myeloid and lymphoid immune cells through distinct molecular mechanisms. In the present review, we focus on the role of adrenergic nerves in the control of lymphocyte trafficking and adaptive immune responses in physiological and pathological conditions.