Microbial Exposure During Early Life Has Persistent Effects on Natural Killer T Cell Function

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 336; no. 6080; pp. 489 - 493
• Main Authors: Olszak, Torsten, An, Dingding, Zeissig, Sebastian, Vera, Miguel Pinilla, Richter, Julia, Franke, Andre, Glickman, Jonathan N., Siebert, Reiner, Baron, Rebecca M., Kasper, Dennis L., Blumberg, Richard S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 27.04.2012; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Aging; Animal models; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Antigens, CD1d - immunology; Asthma; Asthma - immunology; Bacteria - growth & development; Biological and medical sciences; Chemokine CXCL16; Chemokine CXCL6 - genetics; Chemokine CXCL6 - metabolism; Children & youth; Colitis; Colitis, Ulcerative - chemically induced; Colitis, Ulcerative - immunology; Colon - immunology; Colon - microbiology; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Susceptibility; DNA; DNA Methylation; Epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Genetics of the immune response; Germ-Free Life; Ileum; Immune system; Immunobiology; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Inflammatory diseases; Intestinal Mucosa - immunology; Intestines - immunology; Intestines - microbiology; Lung - immunology; Lungs; Lymphocytes; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Natural killer T cells; Natural Killer T-Cells - immunology; Oxazolone; Pathology; Receptors, CXCR - genetics; Receptors, CXCR - metabolism; Receptors, CXCR6; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; Young Children; Immunoprotection; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Rodentia; Early; Exposure; NKT cell

Exposure to microbes during early childhood is associated with protection from immune-mediated diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma. Here, we show that in germ-free (GF) mice, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells accumulate in the colonic lamina propria and lung, resulting...