ArticlePLoS biology2016
Topological Small-World Organization of the Fibroblastic Reticular Cell Network Determines Lymph Node Functionality.
Article in PLoS biology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- Composition and regulation of the immune microenvironment of salivary gland in Sjögren's syndrome.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Pooled it
- LN-Derived Fibroblastic Reticular Cells and Their Impact on T Cell Response-A Systematic Review.Cells · 2021Pooled it
- Myofibroblast-Like CAFs in Metastatic Lymph Nodes Drive Tumor Stemness and Poor Prognosis in Head and Neck Cancer.Cancer science · 2026Article
- Semi-Automated Analysis of Lymph Node Immune and Fibroblast Architecture From Immunofluorescent Images.Current protocols · 2026Article
- Topological analysis of the human lymph node reticular network predicts outcome in breast cancer.The Journal of pathology · 2026Article
- Article
- Spatial topology and competitive access differentially shape early T cell priming in the lymph node: an agent-based modeling approach.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Fibroblastic FLT3L supports lymph node dendritic cells in the interfollicular niche.Nature immunology · 2025Article
- Splenic fibroblastic reticular cells orchestrate dendritic cell maturation and facilitate CD8Science advances · 2025Article
- The axillary lymphoid organ is an external, experimentally accessible immune organ in the zebrafish.The Journal of experimental medicine · 2025Article
- Fibroblastic reticular cells form reactive myeloid cell niches in human lymph nodes.Science immunology · 2025Article
- Transient Lymphatic Remodeling Follows Sub-Ablative High-Frequency Irreversible Electroporation Therapy in a 4T1 Murine Model.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2025Article
- Two conjectures on 3D Voronoi structures: a toolkit with biomedical case studies.Molecular systems design & engineering · 2024Article
- Fibril-Guided Three-Dimensional Assembly of Human Fibroblastic Reticular Cells.ACS applied bio materials · 2024Article
- An Organotypic Human Lymph Node Model Reveals the Importance of Fibroblastic Reticular Cells for Dendritic Cell Function.Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine · 2024Article
- Protective fibroblastic niches in secondary lymphoid organs.The Journal of experimental medicine · 2024Review
- Bioinspired 3D microprinted cell scaffolds: Integration of graph theory to recapitulate complex network wiring in lymph nodes.Biotechnology journal · 2024Article
- Fibroblastic reticular cells provide a supportive niche for lymph node-resident macrophages.European journal of immunology · 2023Article
- PI16Nature immunology · 2023Article
- The extracellular matrix of lymph node reticular fibers modulates follicle border interactions and germinal center formation.iScience · 2023Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) form the cellular scaffold of lymph nodes (LNs) and establish distinct microenvironmental niches to provide key molecules that drive innate and adaptive immune responses and control immune regulatory processes. Here, we have used a graph theory-based systems biology approach to determine topological properties and robustness of the LN FRC network in mice. We found that the FRC network exhibits an imprinted small-world topology that is fully regenerated within 4 wk after complete FRC ablation. Moreover, in silico perturbation analysis and in vivo validation revealed that LNs can tolerate a loss of approximately 50% of their FRCs without substantial impairment of immune cell recruitment, intranodal T cell migration, and dendritic cell-mediated activation of antiviral CD8+ T cells. Overall, our study reveals the high topological robustness of the FRC network and the critical role of the network integrity for the activation of adaptive immune responses.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.