There is increasing interest in how immune cells in the meninges—the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord—contribute to homeostasis and disease in the central nervous system^1,2. The outer layer of the meninges, the dura mater, has recently been described to contain both innate and adaptive immune cells, and functions as a site for B cell development^3,4,5,6. Here we identify organized lymphoid structures that protect fenestrated vasculature in the dura mater. The most elaborate of these dural-associated lymphoid tissues (DALT) surrounded the rostral-rhinal confluence of the sinuses and included lymphatic vessels. We termed this structure, which interfaces with the skull bone marrow and a comparable venous plexus at the skull base, the rostral-rhinal venolymphatic hub. Immune aggregates were present in DALT during homeostasis and expanded with age or after challenge with systemic or nasal antigens. DALT contain germinal centre B cells and support the generation of somatically mutated, antibody-producing cells in response to a nasal pathogen challenge. Inhibition of lymphocyte entry into the rostral-rhinal hub at the time of nasal viral challenge abrogated the generation of germinal centre B cells and class-switched plasma cells, as did perturbation of B–T cell interactions. These data demonstrate a lymphoid structure around vasculature in the dura mater that can sample antigens and rapidly support humoral immune responses after local pathogen challenge.

人们越来越关注脑膜（大脑和脊髓周围的膜）中的免疫细胞如何促进中枢神经系统的稳态和疾病^1,2。脑膜的外层，即硬脑膜，最近被描述为含有先天性和适应性免疫细胞，并作为 B 细胞发育的场所^3,4,5,6。在这里，我们确定了保护硬脑膜中有窗脉管系统的有组织的淋巴结构。这些硬脑膜相关淋巴组织（DALT）中最复杂的部分围绕着鼻窦的头鼻汇合处，并包括淋巴管。我们将这种结构称为头鼻静脉淋巴中枢，它与颅骨骨髓和颅底类似的静脉丛相连。免疫聚集体在体内平衡期间存在于 DALT 中，并随着年龄的增长或在受到全身或鼻抗原攻击后扩大。 DALT 含有生发中心 B 细胞，支持体细胞突变、产生抗体的细胞的生成，以应对鼻腔病原体的攻击。在鼻病毒攻击时，抑制淋巴细胞进入头鼻中枢，消除了生发中心 B 细胞和类别转换浆细胞的产生，B-T 细胞相互作用的扰动也是如此。这些数据证明了硬脑膜脉管系统周围的淋巴结构，可以在局部病原体攻击后对抗原进行采样并快速支持体液免疫反应。