- Researchers investigated how immune cells in the intestines communicate with cells of the intestinal lining and microbes in the gut.
- They found that the cells lining the intestine have a dual role in immune cell signaling and inflammation.
- They hope their findings may help in the design of new treatment strategies for autoimmune conditions like irritable bowel disease (IBD).
Trillions of microbes coexist with immune cells in the intestine. A layer of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) acts as a first line of defense against microbes by separating them from immune cells.
Previous studies have shown that immune cells known as
Studies also show that microbiota produce metabolites such as lactate, acetate, and butyrate, which regulate IEC function.
While it is known that immune cells, IECs, and microbes communicate, whether IECs directly sense microbes or respond to other cues that occur after microbe invasion remains unknown.
Understanding more about this could help researchers develop new treatments for intestinal-related conditions.
Recently, researchers conducted several experiments to understand how intestinal immune cells detect and respond to microbes, and how they then communicate with IECs.
Dr. Sri Naveen Surapaneni, a gastroenterologist at Memorial Hermann and Texas Digestive Disease Consultants in Houston, not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that it establishes a “dual role” for IECs in both immune cell signaling and inflammation.
“Understanding the intestinal microbial homeostasis and signaling mechanisms contributing to inflammatory responses is key to combat[ing] intestinal bowel disease (IBD),” he noted.
The researchers hope their findings will lead the way for new treatments for auto-immune conditions such as IBD.
The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
For the study, the researchers conducted several…
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