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Hepatic Lymphatic System

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

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Synonyms

Lymph circulation of the liver

Definition (Overview)

As in other organs, the lymphatics in the liver function as a tissue drainage system and an immunological control system. The lymphatic vascular system consists of noncontractile initial lymphatics and contractile collecting lymphatics. Initial lymphatics are tubulosaccular and have many valves that allow unidirectional lymph flow. Basement membranes of the lymphatics are incomplete or absent. Reportedly, lymphatic basement membrane in human skin, digestive tract, and ovary contains laminin α4, β1, β2, γ1, type IV and XVIII collagens, and nidogen-1 (Vainionpää et al. 2007), but that in human liver remains to be studied. Lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) show three types of intercellular contacts: end-to-end, overlapping, and interdigitated junctions. Open junctions are occasionally seen. Specialized junctional complexes, either fasciae occludentes or fasciae adherentes are seen in 65 % of the contacts. LECs are strongly...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan

    Osamu Ohtani

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Kuriyama Central Hospital, 906-1 Kuriyama, Yotsukaido City, Chiba, 284-0027, Japan

    Yuko Ohtani

Authors
  1. Osamu Ohtani
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  2. Yuko Ohtani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Osamu Ohtani .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Betty Diamond

  4. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Anne Davidson

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Ohtani, O., Ohtani, Y. (2014). Hepatic Lymphatic System. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Diamond, B., Davidson, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_59

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_59

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-84827-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-84828-0

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