| First Author | Vaishnava S | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Science | Volume | 334 |
| Issue | 6053 | Pages | 255-8 |
| PubMed ID | 21998396 | Mgi Jnum | J:177506 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5295323 | Doi | 10.1126/science.1209791 |
| Citation | Vaishnava S, et al. (2011) The antibacterial lectin RegIIIgamma promotes the spatial segregation of microbiota and host in the intestine. Science 334(6053):255-8 |
| abstractText | The mammalian intestine is home to ~100 trillion bacteria that perform important metabolic functions for their hosts. The proximity of vast numbers of bacteria to host intestinal tissues raises the question of how symbiotic host-bacterial relationships are maintained without eliciting potentially harmful immune responses. Here, we show that RegIIIgamma, a secreted antibacterial lectin, is essential for maintaining a ~50-micrometer zone that physically separates the microbiota from the small intestinal epithelial surface. Loss of host-bacterial segregation in RegIIIgamma(-/-) mice was coupled to increased bacterial colonization of the intestinal epithelial surface and enhanced activation of intestinal adaptive immune responses by the microbiota. Together, our findings reveal that RegIIIgamma is a fundamental immune mechanism that promotes host-bacterial mutualism by regulating the spatial relationships between microbiota and host. |
