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The Role Of Intestinal Epithelial Cells And The Regulation Of The Polymeric Immunoglobulin Receptor In Homeostasis And Inflammation, Aubrey Leigh Frantz
The Role Of Intestinal Epithelial Cells And The Regulation Of The Polymeric Immunoglobulin Receptor In Homeostasis And Inflammation, Aubrey Leigh Frantz
Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
The mammalian intestine harbors an estimated 100 trillion microorganisms, which normally maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the host. The intestinal epithelium consists of a single layer of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) that provides a physical barrier as well as innate immune defense, preventing this vast community of microbes from entering host tissues. Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) acts as the first line of antigen-specific immunity at the interface between the gut microbiota and the intestinal epithelium. Polymeric IgA secreted by plasma cells in the intestinal lamina propria is transported across IECs by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Defects in epithelial …