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Oral Versus Gastrointestinal Mucosal Immune Niches In Homeostasis And Allostasis, Lina J Suárez, Silie Arboleda, Nikola Angelov, Roger M Arce

Journal Articles

Different body systems (epidermis, respiratory tract, cornea, oral cavity, and gastrointestinal tract) are in continuous direct contact with innocuous and/or potentially harmful external agents, exhibiting dynamic and highly selective interaction throughout the epithelia, which function as both a physical and chemical protective barrier. Resident immune cells in the epithelia are constantly challenged and must distinguish among antigens that must be either tolerated or those to which a response must be mounted for. When such a decision begins to take place in lymphoid foci and/or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues, the epithelia network of immune surveillance actively dominates both oral and gastrointestinal compartments, …