title: Anatomical evidence for enteric neuroimmune interactions in Peyer's patches.
abstract: Peyer's patches (PP), a key component of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, serve as the primary inductive sites for intestinal immunity. In the present study, we addressed the hypothesis that the morphological features of PP innervation are consistent with an immunomodulatory role for the enteric nervous system. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to collect images through large tissue volumes, yielding a three-dimensional perspective of the neuronal network superimposed on PP follicles from porcine jejunum and human ileum. Peptidergic nerve fibers were found in close apposition to immunocytes within PP subepithelial domes and the adjacent villi. The results suggest that nerve fibers in PP may participate in neuroimmune cross-talk within individual antigen-sampling sites as well as integrate information across multiple antigen-sampling sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1988 Fitch Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108-6010, USA.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vulchanova
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Gwen W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Crabb
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000294:innervation*; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000294:innervation*; D013552:Swine