Fate and function of lymphoid tissue inducer cells

The discovery that Peyer's patch and lymph node development is regulated by the collaboration between fetal hematopoietic cells and mesenchymal cells has thrown new light on our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation of lymphoid organs. Lymphoid tissue inducer cells trigger a coordinated series of events leading to cell clustering and changes in gene expression and differentiation. Nevertheless, many questions regarding the origin, recruitment and fate of the inducer cells and cellular crosstalk with neighboring cells remain unanswered.