Research paper
Anatomy and nomenclature of murine lymph nodes:Descriptive study and nomenclatory standardization in BALB/cAnNCrl mice
Wim Van den Broeck a,⁎,Annie Derore b,c ,Paul Simoens a
a
Department of Morphology,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,Ghent University,Salisburylaan 133,B-9820Merelbeke,Belgium
b
Innogenetics NV ,Industriepark Zwijnaarde 7,B-9052Ghent,Belgium
c
Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB),Technologiepark 927,B-9052Ghent,Belgium
Received 21November 2005;received in revised form 10January 2006;accepted 26January 2006
Available online 6March 2006
Abstract
Murine lymph nodes are intensively studied but often assigned incorrectly in scientific papers.In BALB/cAnNCrl mice,we characterized a total of 22different lymph nodes.Peripheral nodes were situated in the head and neck region (mandibular,accessory mandibular,superficial parotid,cranial deep cervical nodes),and at the forelimb (proper axillary,accessory axillary nodes)and hindlimb (subiliac,sciatic,popliteal nodes).Intrathoracic lymph nodes included the cranial mediastinal,tracheobronchal and caudal mediastinal nodes.Abdominal lymph nodes were associated with the gastrointestinal tract (gastric,pancreaticoduodenal,jejunal,colic,caudal mesenteric nodes)or were located along the major intra-abdominal blood vessels (renal,lumbar aortic,lateral iliac,medial iliac and external iliac nodes).Comparative and nomenclative aspects of murine lymph nodes are discussed.The position of the lymph nodes of BALB/cAnNCrl mice is summarized and illustrated in an anatomical chart containing proposals for both an official nomenclature according to the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria and English terms.©2006Elsevier B.V .All rights reserved.
Keywords:Mouse;Lymph node;Nomenclature
1.Introduction
Rodents,and mice in particular,have long been used as laboratory animals in various scientific experiments.The possibility to produce different murine strains and a variety of knock-out mice,the high reproductive rate of these animals,and the ease of their handling have made them the preferential laboratory animal.In immunolog-ical sciences,murine lymph nodes (lnn.)are often used to isolate lymphocytes in order to study fundamental
aspects of immunology and immunopathology.The methodology to recognize and dissect these lymph nodes requires at least a basic anatomical knowledge.In numerous studies,however,inaccurate,misleading or even enigmatic terms such as genital nodes (Cain and Rank,1995)or tonsillar nodes (Deaglio et al.,1996)have sometimes been assigned to murine lymph nodes.The ambiguity of murine lymph node (ln.)nomenclature is illustrated by the lymph node at the ear base of mice which has been variably designated by various terms such as parotid ln.(Cuq,1966;Grassé,1972;Popesko et al.,1992),lateral mandibular ln.(Cuq,1966),and facial ln.(Wolvers et al.,1999),while numerous recent studies refer to an allegedly auricular ln.(Anjuère et al.,1999;Dearman et al.,1996;Sailstad et al.,1995)or pre-
Journal of Immunological Methods 312(2006)12–
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⁎Corresponding author.Tel.:+3292747716;fax:+3292647790.E-mail address:wim.vandenbroeck@UGent.be (W.Van den Broeck).
0022-1759/$-see front matter ©2006Elsevier B.V .All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.jim.2006.01.022
