There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Immunoglobulin A is the most abundant immunoglobulin isotype in mucosal secretions. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of the sites, mechanisms and functions of intestinal IgA synthesis in mice. On the basis of these recent findings, we propose an updated model for the induction and regulation of IgA responses in the gut. In addition, we discuss new insights into the role of IgA in the maintenance of gut homeostasis and into the reciprocal interactions between gut B cells and the bacterial flora.

Related collections

Most cited references 64

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

A B cell-deficient mouse by targeted disruption of the membrane exon of the immunoglobulin mu chain gene.

D Kitamura, J Roes, R. Kuhn … (1991)

Of the various classes of antibodies that B lymphocytes can produce, class M (IgM) is the first to be expressed on the membrane of the developing cells. Pre-B cells, the precursors of B-lymphocytes, produce the heavy chain of IgM (mu chain), but not light chains. Recent data suggest that pre-B cells express mu chains on the membrane together with the 'surrogate' light chains lambda 5 and V pre B (refs 2-7). This complex could control pre-B-cell differentiation, in particular the rearrangement of the light-chain genes. We have now assessed the importance of the membrane form of the mu chain in B-cell development by generating mice lacking this chain. We disrupted one of the membrane exons of the gene encoding the mu-chain constant region by gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells. From these cells we derived mice heterozygous or homozygous for the mutation. B-cell development in the heterozygous mice seemed to be normal, but in homozygous animals B cells were absent, their development already being arrested at the stage of pre-B-cell maturation.

0 comments Cited 299 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

A primitive T cell-independent mechanism of intestinal mucosal IgA responses to commensal bacteria.

A Macpherson, D Gatto, E Sainsbury … (2000)

The immunoglobulin A (IgA) is produced to defend mucosal surfaces from environmental organisms, but host defenses against the very heavy load of intestinal commensal microorganisms are poorly understood. The IgA against intestinal commensal bacterial antigens was analyzed; it was not simply "natural antibody" but was specifically induced and responded to antigenic changes within an established gut flora. In contrast to IgA responses against exotoxins, a significant proportion of this specific anti-commensal IgA induction was through a pathway that was independent of T cell help and of follicular lymphoid tissue organization, which may reflect an evolutionarily primitive form of specific immune defense.

0 comments Cited 246 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Critical roles of activation-induced cytidine deaminase in the homeostasis of gut flora.

Sidonia Fagarasan, Masamichi Muramatsu, Keiichiro Suzuki … (2002)

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) plays an essential role in class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) of immunoglobulin genes. We report here that deficiency in AID results in the development of hyperplasia of isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs) associated with a 100-fold expansion of anaerobic flora in the small intestine. Reduction of bacterial flora by antibiotic treatment of AID-/- mice abolished ILF hyperplasia as well as the germinal center enlargement seen in secondary lymphoid tissues. Because an inability to switch to immunoglobulin A on its own does not lead to a similar phenotype, these results suggest that SHM of ILF B cells plays a critical role in regulating intestinal microflora.

0 comments Cited 159 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Journal

PubMed ID:: 12511876

DOI:: 10.1038/nri982

ScienceOpen disciplines: Chemistry

Keywords: Animals,Homeostasis,immunology,Humans,Immunity, Mucosal,Immunoglobulin A,biosynthesis,genetics,Immunoglobulin Class Switching,Intestinal Mucosa,metabolism

Data availability:

ScienceOpen disciplines: Chemistry

Keywords: Animals, Homeostasis, immunology, Humans, Immunity, Mucosal, Immunoglobulin A, biosynthesis, genetics, Immunoglobulin Class Switching, Intestinal Mucosa, metabolism

Intestinal IgA synthesis: regulation of front-line body defences.

Read this article at

Abstract

Related collections

Synthesis of 2-trifluoromethylated piperidines and azepanes

Most cited references 64

A B cell-deficient mouse by targeted disruption of the membrane exon of the immunoglobulin mu chain gene.

A primitive T cell-independent mechanism of intestinal mucosal IgA responses to commensal bacteria.

Critical roles of activation-induced cytidine deaminase in the homeostasis of gut flora.

Author and article information

Journal

Comments

Comment on this article

Similar content 98

Cited by 123

Most referenced authors 1,602