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Exercise generates immune cells in bone

A specialized type of bone-cell progenitor has been identified in the bone marrow, and shown to support the generation of immune cells called lymphocytes in response to movement.
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  1. Mehmet Saçma

    1. Mehmet Saçma is at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm 89081 Germany.

  2. Hartmut Geiger

    1. Hartmut Geiger is at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm 89081 Germany.

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It is pretty crowded in the bone marrow. Many types of stem and progenitor cell, including progenitors of immune cells, coexist side-by-side1,2 and are supported by nearby cells that generate specialized protective environments for the stem cells, called niches. The interplay between the cells of the niche, also known as stromal cells, and early progenitors of immune cells in the bone marrow is poorly understood. Insight into how this interplay is coordinated would help us to better understand how progenitors of immune cells are generated. Writing in Nature, Shen et al.3 have solved part of the puzzle by identifying a role for movement in stimulating communication between one type of stromal cell and immune progenitors in mice, ultimately helping the animals to fight infection.

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Nature 591, 371-372 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00419-y

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