New aspects of IgA synthesis in the gut

• Oxford Journals
• Life Sciences & Medicine
• International Immunology
• Advance Access
• 10.1093/intimm/dxu059

1. Keiichiro Suzuki¹⇑ and 
2. Akira Nakajima¹

+Author Affiliations

1. ¹Center for Innovation in Immunoregulative Technology and Therapeutics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan

1. Corresponding author: Keiichiro Suzuki Contact email: suzuki@ak.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp Kyoto University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-Cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, 606-8501, Tel: +81-75-753-9526; Fax: +81-75-753-9500

• Received April 27, 2014.

Abstract

In mammals, the gastrointestinal tract is colonized by extremely dense and diverse bacterial communities that are beneficial for health. Maintenance of complexity and proper localization and distribution of gut bacteria is of prime importance, because when disrupted, the microbial community attacks the host’s tissues and cause inflammatory reactions. Our immune system provides the necessary mechanisms to maintain the homeostatic balance between microbial communities and the host. The immunoglobulin A (IgA) plays crucial roles in regulation of host-bacterial interactions in the gut. IgA is the most abundant immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype in our body, mostly produced by the IgA plasma cells residing in the lamina propria of the small and large intestine. Although it was well known that IgA provides protection against pathogens, only recently it became clear that IgA plays critical roles in regulation of bacterial communities in the gut in steady-state conditions. Here we summarize recent progress in our understandings for the various mechanisms of IgA synthesis in multiple anatomical sites and discuss how IgA limits bacterial access to the internal milieu of the host.

This Article

1. Int. Immunol. (2014)doi: 10.1093/intimm/dxu059First published online: May 28, 2014

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