Correlation between early-life regulation of the immune system by microbiota and allergy development

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 139; no. 4; pp. 1084 - 1091
• Main Authors: Gensollen, Thomas, Blumberg, Richard S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2017; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Age; Allergy; Allergy and Immunology; Animal models; Animals; Antibiotics; Antibodies; Apoptosis; Asthma; Autoimmune diseases; Bacteria; Birth; Cell death; Children; Cytokines; Digestion; Disease; early-life; Enzymes; Fetuses; Food allergies; Fungi; Gastrointestinal tract; Human subjects; Humans; Hypersensitivity - immunology; Hypersensitivity - microbiology; Immune system; Immune System - growth & development; Immune System - microbiology; Immunoglobulin E; Inflammatory bowel disease; Interleukin 4; Lymphocytes; Mice; microbiota; Microbiota - immunology; Microorganisms; Mucous Membrane - immunology; Mucous Membrane - microbiology; neonate; Newborn babies; Organelles; Pathogens; Pregnancy; Prenatal experience; T cell receptors; Transcription factors; window of opportunity; microbiota; Allergy; early-life; window of opportunity; Treg; SPF; neonate; iNKT; GF; Germ-free; Specific pathogen-free; Invariant natural killer T; Regulatory T
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.02.011

Early postnatal life is a key time for development of the immune system and colonization of the host by microbiota. Recent studies have shown that specific limbs of the immune system can be regulated by microbiota in a time-restricted period during early life. Studies in mouse models have shown that perturbations of the microbiota during early life can cause immune effects that can persist into adulthood and create increased host susceptibility to certain diseases. Here we discuss the role of early-life regulation of the immune system by the microbiota and how it can be related to allergy development.