Lymphoid Organogenesis Proceedings of the Workshop held at the Basel Institute for Immunology 5th–6th November 1999

It has been clear for a long time that after transplantation of a lymphoid organ, hematopoietic stem cells can regenerate the compartments of the organ, provided that the rest of its architecture - the strome, the epithelia and the vessels - is intact. Ahead lies the even greater challenge to assemble also these other architectural elements of a lymphoid organ by transplanting stem cells. The workshop on lymphoid organogenesis was convened to review current knowledge of and experimental skills involved in this grand project to build a lymphoid organ from its individual cellular components.

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Progenitor Cells for Cartilage, Bone, Fat and Stroma.- Investigating the Genetic Control of Stem Cell Behavior.- Precursor B Cells from Pax-5-deficient Mice - Stem Cells for Macrophages, Granulocytes, Osteoclasts, Dendritic Cells, Natural Killer Cells, Thymocytes and T Cells.- Insertional Mutagenesis as a Route to Identifying Genes Involved in Self Renewal of Haemopoietic Stem Cells.- The Helix-Loop-Helix Inhibitor Id2 and Cell Differentiation Control.- Role of 131 Integrin for Hemato-Lymphopoiesis in Mouse Development.- The Ikaros Family and the Development of Early Intraembryonic Hematopoietic Stem Cells.- Function of Cytokines in Lymphocyte Development.- Re-evaluation of B Lymphocyte Lineage Differentiation Schemes.- Growth Factors Regulating Lymphatic Vessels.- Hemangioblastic Precursors in the Avian Embryo.- Cloning of JAM-2 and JAM-3: an Emerging Junctional Adhesion Molecular Family?.- Thymus Epithelial Cell Reaggregate Grafts.- A Novel Anti-Ep-CAM Antibody to Analyze the Organization of Thymic Medulla in Autoimmunity.- Genetic Dissection of Thymus Development.- Developing Thymocytes Organize Thymic Microenvironments.- The Role of Mesenchyme in Thymus Development.- Making Central T-Cell Tolerance Efficient: Thymic Stromal Cells Sample Distinct Self-Antigen Pools.- T Cell Activation and Polarization by DC 1 and DC2.- Functional Subsets of Memory T Cells Identified by CCR7 Expression.- Functional Organization of Secondary Lymphoid Organs by the Chemokine System.- The Cluster of ABCD Chemokines which Organizes T Cell-dependent B Cell Responses.- Affinity Maturation in Ectopic Germinal Centers.- Precursors to Neonatal Lymph Nodes: LT(3+CD45+CD4+CD3- Cells are Found in Fetal Liver.- The Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor and Lymphotoxin in Lymphoid Organ Development.