A common migratory highway between human spleen and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues; data from nature's own experiments

Abstract

Elegant animal models of lymphocyte traffic have uncovered routes of lymphocyte movement between and within tissues. Routes of human lymphocyte migration cannot always be extrapolated from animal studies and investigating this in vivo is particularly challenging. In this commentary, we consider the migratory properties of low-grade B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and describe a migratory route between the human mucosa and splenic marginal zone.