title: Intestinal M cells.
abstract: We have an enormous number of commensal bacteria in our intestine, moreover, the foods that we ingest and the water we drink is sometimes contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. The intestinal epithelium is always exposed to such microbes, friend or foe, so to contain them our gut is equipped with specialized gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), literally the largest peripheral lymphoid tissue in the body. GALT is the intestinal immune inductive site composed of lymphoid follicles such as Peyer's patches. M cells are a subset of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) residing in the region of the epithelium covering GALT lymphoid follicles. Although the vast majority of IEC function to absorb nutrients from the intestine, M cells are highly specialized to take up intestinal microbial antigens and deliver them to GALT for efficient mucosal as well as systemic immune responses. I will discuss recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of M-cell differentiation and functions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Intestinal Ecosystem, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro, Tsurumi, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan hiroshi.ohno@riken.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D018621:PrPC Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011961:Receptors, Fc / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; C489339:GP2 protein, human; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; C495998:Gp2 protein, mouse; C045281:IgA receptor; D018621:PrPC Proteins; D011961:Receptors, Fc
keywords: M cell; Spi-B; antigen uptake; enteroid; gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT)