Front. Immunol., 12 July 2013 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00185
Multi-faceted functions of secretory IgA at mucosal surfaces
- R&D Laboratory, Department of Immunology and Allergy, University State Hospital Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
Secretory IgA (SIgA) plays an important role in the protection and homeostatic regulation of intestinal, respiratory, and urogenital mucosal epithelia separating the outside environment from the inside of the body. This primary function of SIgA is referred to as immune exclusion, a process that limits the access of numerous microorganisms and mucosal antigens to these thin and vulnerable mucosal barriers. SIgA has been shown to be involved in avoiding opportunistic pathogens to enter and disseminate in the systemic compartment, as well as tightly controlling the necessary symbiotic relationship existing between commensals and the host. Clearance by peristalsis appears thus as one of the numerous mechanisms whereby SIgA fulfills its function at mucosal surfaces. Sampling of antigen-SIgA complexes by microfold (M) cells, intimate contact occurring with Peyer’s patch dendritic cells (DC), down-regulation of inflammatory processes, modulation of epithelial, and DC responsiveness are some of the recently identified processes to which the contribution of SIgA has been underscored. This review aims at presenting, with emphasis at the biochemical level, how the molecular complexity of SIgA can serve these multiple and non-redundant modes of action.
Keywords: secretory IgA, mucosal homeostasis, antibody, epithelium, infectious agents, commensal bacteria
Citation: Corthésy B (2013) Multi-faceted functions of secretory IgA at mucosal surfaces.Front. Immunol. 4:185. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00185
Received: 21 May 2013; Paper pending published: 06 June 2013;
Accepted: 24 June 2013; Published online: 12 July 2013.
Accepted: 24 June 2013; Published online: 12 July 2013.
Edited by:
Nils Yngve Lycke, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Reviewed by:
Oliver Pabst, Hannover Medical School, GermanyJo Spencer, King’s College London, UK
Mats Bemark, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Copyright: © 2013 Corthésy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc.
*Correspondence: Blaise Corthésy, R&D Laboratory, Department of Immunology and Allergy, University State Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland e-mail: blaise.corthesy@chuv.ch
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