Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, KY40202, United States.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, VA23298, United States.
FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2023 Jul 5;47(4). doi: 10.1093/femsre/fuad045.
Epithelial cells line mucosal surfaces such as in the gingival crevice and provide a barrier to the ingress of colonizing microorganisms. However, epithelial cells are more than a passive barrier to microbial intrusion, and rather constitute an interactive interface with colonizing organisms which senses the composition of the microbiome and communicates this information to the underlying cells of the innate immune system. Microorganisms, for their part, have devised means to manipulate host cell signal transduction pathways to favor their colonization and survival. Study of this field, which has become known as cellular microbiology, has revealed much about epithelial cell physiology, bacterial colonization and pathogenic strategies, and innate host responses.
上皮细胞排列在口腔黏膜表面，如牙龈沟，为定植微生物的入侵提供了一道屏障。然而，上皮细胞不仅仅是微生物入侵的被动屏障，而是与定植生物构成了一个相互作用的界面，它可以感知微生物组的组成，并将此信息传递给先天免疫系统的底层细胞。微生物也采取了各种手段来操纵宿主细胞信号转导途径，以利于其定植和存活。这个领域的研究，即细胞微生物学，揭示了上皮细胞生理学、细菌定植和致病策略以及先天宿主反应的许多知识。
