title: New concepts in the generation and functions of IgA.
abstract: The intestinal mucosa contains the largest population of antibody-secreting plasma cells in the body, and in humans several grams of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) are released into the intestine each day. In the gut lumen, SIgA serves as a first-line barrier that protects the epithelium from pathogens and toxins. Recently, next-generation sequencing has revolutionized our understanding of the nature of the intestinal microbiota and has also shed new light on the important roles of SIgA in the regulation of host-commensal homeostasis. Here, I discuss pathways of IgA induction in the context of SIgA specificity and function.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Strae 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Pabst.Oliver@MHHannover.de
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pabst
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000276:immunology*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000276:immunology; D054892:Metagenome; D051379:Mice; D018448:Models, Immunological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory