Many fences make better neighbors.
Phagocytic Kupffer cells in the liver act as a firewall that captures commensal bacteria that have breached the barrier of the gut mucosa (Balmer et al., this issue).
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Snyder Institute of Chronic Disease, University of Calgary, T2N 4N1, Canada. fjzemp@ucalgary.ca pkubes@ucalgary.ca.
Franz J
FJ
Zemp
Department of Pediatrics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Christopher C M
CC
Waterhouse
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Snyder Institute of Chronic Disease, University of Calgary, T2N 4N1, Canada. fjzemp@ucalgary.ca pkubes@ucalgary.ca.
Paul
P
Kubes
D000818:Animals; D018988:Bacterial Translocation; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008102:Liver Circulation; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male