Direct vascular channels connect skull bone marrow and the brain surface enabling myeloid cell migration

Nat Neurosci. 2018 Sep;21(9):1209-1217. doi: 10.1038/s41593-018-0213-2. Epub 2018 Aug 27.

Abstract

Innate immune cells recruited to inflammatory sites have short life spans and originate from the marrow, which is distributed throughout the long and flat bones. While bone marrow production and release of leukocyte increases after stroke, it is currently unknown whether its activity rises homogeneously throughout the entire hematopoietic system. To address this question, we employed spectrally resolved in vivo cell labeling in the murine skull and tibia. We show that in murine models of stroke and aseptic meningitis, skull bone marrow-derived neutrophils are more likely to migrate to the adjacent brain tissue than cells that reside in the tibia. Confocal microscopy of the skull-dura interface revealed myeloid cell migration through microscopic vascular channels crossing the inner skull cortex. These observations point to a direct local interaction between the brain and the skull bone marrow through the meninges.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow / physiology*
  • Bone Marrow / ultrastructure
  • Cell Movement / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / pathology
  • Male
  • Meningitis, Aseptic / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Middle Aged
  • Myeloid Cells / physiology*
  • Myeloid Cells / ultrastructure
  • Neutrophils
  • Skull / cytology
  • Skull / physiology*
  • Skull / ultrastructure
  • Stroke / pathology
  • Tibia / physiology
  • Tibia / ultrastructure
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed