Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Immunology. 2019 Dec;158(4):267-280. doi: 10.1111/imm.13117. Epub 2019 Oct 4.
The intestinal epithelium forms a barrier between the microbiota and the rest of the body. In addition, beyond acting as a physical barrier, the function of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in sensing and responding to microbial signals is increasingly appreciated and likely has numerous implications for the vast network of immune cells within and below the intestinal epithelium. IECs also respond to factors produced by immune cells, and these can regulate IEC barrier function, proliferation and differentiation, as well as influence the composition of the microbiota. The mechanisms involved in IEC-microbe-immune interactions, however, are not fully characterized. In this review, we explore the ability of IECs to direct intestinal homeostasis by orchestrating communication between intestinal microbes and mucosal innate and adaptive immune cells during physiological and inflammatory conditions. We focus primarily on the most recent findings and call attention to the numerous remaining unknowns regarding the complex crosstalk between IECs, the microbiota and intestinal immune cells.
肠上皮细胞在微生物群和身体其他部位之间形成一道屏障。此外，除了作为物理屏障发挥作用外，肠上皮细胞（IECs）在感知和响应微生物信号方面的功能越来越受到重视，这可能对肠上皮内和下方的大量免疫细胞网络产生诸多影响。IEC 还会对免疫细胞产生的因子做出反应，这些因子可以调节 IEC 屏障功能、增殖和分化，并影响微生物组的组成。然而，IEC-微生物-免疫相互作用的机制尚未完全阐明。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了 IEC 通过在生理和炎症条件下协调肠道微生物与黏膜固有和适应性免疫细胞之间的通讯，从而指导肠道稳态的能力。我们主要关注最近的发现，并提请注意 IEC、微生物组和肠道免疫细胞之间复杂的串扰仍存在许多未知。
