Dietary antigens drive the generation of functional cytotoxic intraepithelial lymphocytes for early defense against foodborne pathogens.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) constitute the largest lymphocyte population in the body and exhibit direct cytotoxic effector functions. Despite their abundance and importance in mucosal immunity, the mechanisms governing the generation and maintenance of functional IELs remain incompletely understood. Given the predominance of dietary components in the small intestine, dietary antigens may play a critical role in regulating the generation, maintenance, and functional maturation of IELs.

Methods

To assess the relative contributions of gut microbiota and dietary antigens to IEL development and function, we analyzed IEL populations in germ-free (GF) and antigen-free (AF) mice, which are GF mice fed with an amino acid diet lacking intact dietary proteins. IEL g

SUBMITTER: Jung J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12819662 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature