The relationship between the distribution of lymphoid cells in the skin and in vitro adhesion to connective tissue

Abstract

An in vitro assay was used to test whether the patterns of lymphocyte distribution in the mouse skin could be explained by adhesion of lymphoid cells to connective tissue. Using normal skin as a substrate, in vitro adhesion was significantly greater below the panniculus carnosus muscle: when oxazolone sensitized skin was used, binding was seen throughout the skin. This correlated closely with the patterns seen in vivo following injection of lymphocytes into normal skin or sensitization with oxazolone. Adhesion was not affected by divalent cation chelating agents, but was reduced in the presence of some monosaccharides. The property of skin adhesion did not appear to be confined to a small number of cells in the spleen cell preparation. Although only a small proportion of the starting population adhered to the section, transfer of the non‐adherent cells to a fresh skin section produced a similar degree of adhesion. It is suggested that the variable binding of lymphoid cells by skin connective tissue may be an important factor in determining the retention of cells which have emigrated into the skin from the blood vessels and may explain the distinctive patterns of distribution of lymphocytes in cutaneous inflammatory disorders.