Presenting Author: Gabriel M Barron
, PhD Candidate at Stanford Univ. Sch. of Med.
Abstract:
The intestinal mucosal barrier is tasked with discerning between friend and foe. These decisions are based on the collaborative synthesis of signals provided from the immune system, the epithelial barrier and the microbiome. In the small intestine, a majority of these immunological responses are initiated in tertiary lymphoid structures known as Peyer’s patches. The hallmark function of the Peyer’s patch is to process luminal proteinss (food, microbes, etc.) and mount antibody responses in the form of secretory IgA. These antigens are sampled via a specialized epithelial layer known as the follicular associated epithelium (FAE). An underappreciated player in Peyer’s patch dynamics is the tuft cell, a chemosensory epithelial cell known for its ability to coordinate type-2 immune reactions in tissues across the body. Preliminary work shows that tuft cells are constitutively present at baseline amongst microfold (M) cells and become a prominent feature of the FAE during a type-2 immune response in the intestine. This raises the central question of my project: how do FAE tuft cells augment the essential roles of the Peyer’s patch? Thereby, my work centers tuft cells as a novel member of the FAE that influences intestinal IgA concentrations and specificities via type-2 cytokines such as IL-25.
The role of follicular-associated tuft cells on Peyer's patch dynamics
Category
Poster and Podium (Block Symposium)
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Date: May 5 Presentation Time: 03:15 PM to 04:30 PM Room: Exhibit Hall F1