The gut-meningeal immune axis: Priming brain defense against the most likely invaders.
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Publication Date
2022-03-07Journal Title
J Exp Med
ISSN
0022-1007
Publisher
Rockefeller University Press
Volume
219
Issue
3
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
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Di Marco Barros, R., Fitzpatrick, Z., & Clatworthy, M. R. (2022). The gut-meningeal immune axis: Priming brain defense against the most likely invaders.. J Exp Med, 219 (3) https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20211520
Description
Funder: National Institutes of Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Center
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract contains trillions of microorganisms that exist symbiotically with the host due to a tolerant, regulatory cell-rich intestinal immune system. However, this intimate relationship with the microbiome inevitably comes with risks, with intestinal organisms being the most common cause of bacteremia. The vasculature of the brain-lining meninges contains fenestrated endothelium, conferring vulnerability to invasion by circulating microbes. We propose that this has evolutionarily led to close links between gut and meningeal immunity, to prime the central nervous system defense against the most likely invaders. This paradigm is exemplified by the dural venous sinus IgA defense system, where the antibody repertoire mirrors that of the gut.
Keywords
Gastrointestinal Tract, Meninges, Plasma Cells, Animals, Humans, Immunoglobulin A, Models, Immunological, Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Sponsorship
Medical Research Council (MR/S035842/1)
Identifiers
35195681, PMC8932540
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20211520
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/335412
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