Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Oct;14(10):667-85.
doi: 10.1038/nri3738. Epub 2014 Sep 19.

Regional specialization within the intestinal immune system

Allan M Mowat  1 , William W Agace  2
Affiliations
Review

Regional specialization within the intestinal immune system

Allan M Mowat et al. Nat Rev Immunol. 2014 Oct.

Abstract

The intestine represents the largest compartment of the immune system. It is continually exposed to antigens and immunomodulatory agents from the diet and the commensal microbiota, and it is the port of entry for many clinically important pathogens. Intestinal immune processes are also increasingly implicated in controlling disease development elsewhere in the body. In this Review, we detail the anatomical and physiological distinctions that are observed in the small and large intestines, and we suggest how these may account for the diversity in the immune apparatus that is seen throughout the intestine. We describe how the distribution of innate, adaptive and innate-like immune cells varies in different segments of the intestine and discuss the environmental factors that may influence this. Finally, we consider the implications of regional immune specialization for inflammatory disease in the intestine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Clin Invest. 1999 Jun;103(12):1719-27 - PubMed
    1. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e53414 - PubMed
    1. Science. 2010 Oct 29;330(6004):665-9 - PubMed
    1. Am J Anat. 1991 Jan;190(1):10-8 - PubMed
    1. Immunity. 2008 Apr;28(4):546-58 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources