B-cell development in the gut

摘要

Mammalian intestines contain vast numbers of immune cells. This is not surprising, given that the gut lumen is home to a microbial ecosystem with cell numbers that exceed those of its human host by around 100 to 1. Microbial colonization of the gut begins at birth, and gut microbes make a crucial contribution to host metabolism. Appreciation is also growing of the role of the microbiome in shaping the host immune system. For example, differentiation of a type of immune cell called T_H17 cells requires the presence of certain bacteria in the gut.