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Review
. 2016 Jan:69:131-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2015.09.008. Epub 2015 Sep 19.

The evolution of nasal immune systems in vertebrates

Ali Sepahi  1 , Irene Salinas  2
Affiliations
Review

The evolution of nasal immune systems in vertebrates

Ali Sepahi et al. Mol Immunol. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

The olfactory organs of vertebrates are not only extraordinary chemosensory organs but also a powerful defense system against infection. Nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) has been traditionally considered as the first line of defense against inhaled antigens in birds and mammals. Novel work in early vertebrates such as teleost fish has expanded our view of nasal immune systems, now recognized to fight both water-borne and air-borne pathogens reaching the olfactory epithelium. Like other mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT), NALT of birds and mammals is composed of organized lymphoid tissue (O-NALT) (i.e., tonsils) as well as a diffuse network of immune cells, known as diffuse NALT (D-NALT). In teleosts, only D-NALT is present and shares most of the canonical features of other teleost MALT. This review focuses on the evolution of NALT in vertebrates with an emphasis on the most recent findings in teleosts and lungfish. Whereas teleost are currently the most ancient group where NALT has been found, lungfish appear to be the earliest group to have evolved primitive O-NALT structures.

Keywords: Evolution; Mucosal immunity; NALT; Nasal immunity; Teleost fish; Vertebrates.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Schematic diagram of the evolution of nasal immune systems in vertebrates.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
(A) Light micrograph (hematoxylin and eosin stain) of paraffin sections of the olfactory organ of an Australian eel (Anguila australis) showing the presence of diffuse NALT in the form of scattered lymphocytes (black arrow heads). (B) Light micrograph (hematoxylin and eosin stain) of the olfactory organ of the African lung-fish (Protopterus dolloi) showing the presence of a primordial lymphoid aggregate (yellow arrows). NC: nasal cavity; OC: oral cavity; OE: olfactory epithelium. Scale bar= 100 μm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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