PDPN and infection: Several studies have recently highlighted a protective role for podoplanin in the maintenance of vascular integrity through CLEC-2-mediated platelet activation, in the context of blood and lymphatic vessel development (Schacht et al., 2003; Bianchi et al., 2017; Fu et al., 2008), lymphocyte recirculation through high endothelial venules (Herzog et al., 2013; Boulaftali et al., 2013) and in response to infection (Hitchcock et al., 2015).