Immune privilege in the gut: the establishment and maintenance of non‐responsiveness to dietary antigens and commensal flora
- 14 September 2006
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Immunological Reviews
- Vol. 213 (1), 82-100
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-065x.2006.00431.x
Abstract
Immune privilege in the gut is the result of a complex interplay between the gut microbiome, gut luminal antigens, and the intestinal epithelial barrier. Composed of both physical and immunochemical components, the intestinal barrier secretes immunoregulatory mediators that promote the generation of tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells, phagocytic innate immune cells characterized by 'inflammatory anergy', and regulatory cells of the adaptive immune system. Innate immune cells mediate controlled transepithelial transport of luminal antigens as far as the mesenteric lymph nodes, where the intestinal and peripheral immune systems intersect. This promotes the generation of adaptive regulatory lymphocytes that actively suppress effector cell responses against gut luminal antigens and flora. The net result is the generation of tolerance to dietary antigens and the maintenance of gut homeostasis. Dysregulation of this complex immunoregulatory network leads to diseases such as food allergy and inflammatory bowel disease. Future therapies for these diseases will likely involve the functional restoration of the barrier and regulatory cell functions at the epithelial/luminal interface.Keywords
This publication has 185 references indexed in Scilit:
- Pathogen Recognition and Innate ImmunityCell, 2006
- Specificity in Toll-like receptor signalling through distinct effector functions of TRAF3 and TRAF6Nature, 2005
- An Immunomodulatory Molecule of Symbiotic Bacteria Directs Maturation of the Host Immune SystemCell, 2005
- War and peace at mucosal surfacesNature Reviews Immunology, 2004
- Toll-like receptor control of the adaptive immune responsesNature Immunology, 2004
- Interactions between commensal intestinal bacteria and the immune systemNature Reviews Immunology, 2004
- Getting a grip on things: how do communities of bacterial symbionts become established in our intestine?Nature Immunology, 2004
- Anatomical basis of tolerance and immunity to intestinal antigensNature Reviews Immunology, 2003
- DCs induce CD40-independent immunoglobulin class switching through BLyS and APRILNature Immunology, 2002
- Healing the epithelium: Solving the problem from two sidesThe Esophagus, 1997