title: Mid-life crisis for M cells.
abstract: The epithelium that lines the gut is impermeable to macromolecules and microorganisms, except in Peyer's patches (PP), where the lymphoid follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) contains M cells that transport antigens and microorganisms. A cultured system that reproduces the main characteristics of FAE and M cells was established by cultivation of PP lymphocytes with the differentiated human intestinal cell line Caco-2. Lymphocytes settled into the epithelial monolayer, inducing reorganization of the brush border and a temperature-dependent transport of particles and Vibrio cholerae. This model system could prove useful for intestinal physiology, vaccine research, and drug delivery studies.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Owen
mesh_terms: D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes; D008954:Models, Biological; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology