Vitamin A and vitamin D regulate the microbial complexity, barrier function, and the mucosal immune responses to ensure intestinal homeostasis

• Published in: Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 184 - 192
• Main Authors: Cantorna, Margherita T., Snyder, Lindsay, Arora, Juhi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 04.03.2019
• Subjects: Animals; diet; digestive tract; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; gastrointestinal tract; Homeostasis; Humans; Immunity, Mucosal; interleukin-17; intestinal microorganisms; intestinal mucosa; Intestinal Mucosa - immunology; Intestinal Mucosa - microbiology; microbiota; molecular biology; mucosal immune system; mucosal immunity; nutrition; tight junctions; Vitamin A; Vitamin A - immunology; vitamin D; Vitamin D - immunology; microbiota; mucosal immune system; Vitamin A; nutrition; gastrointestinal tract; vitamin D
• ISSN: 1040-9238; 1549-7798; 1549-7798
• DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2019.1611734

Diet is an important regulator of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies result in less diverse, dysbiotic microbial communities and increased susceptibility to infection or injury of the gastrointestinal tract. The vitamin A and vitamin D receptors are nuclear receptors expressed by the host, but not the microbiota. Vitamin A- and vitamin D-mediated regulation of the intestinal epithelium and mucosal immune cells underlies the effects of these nutrients on the microbiota. Vitamin A and vitamin D regulate the expression of tight junction proteins on intestinal epithelial cells that are critical for barrier function in the gut. Other shared functions of vitamin A and vitamin D include the support of innate lymphoid cells that produce IL-22, suppression of IFN-γ and IL-17 by T cells, and induction of regulatory T cells in the mucosal tissues. There are some unique functions of vitamin A and D; for example, vitamin A induces gut homing receptors on T cells, while vitamin D suppresses gut homing receptors on T cells. Together, vitamin A- and vitamin D-mediated regulation of the intestinal epithelium and mucosal immune system shape the microbial communities in the gut to maintain homeostasis.