How colonization by microbiota in early life shapes the immune system
Thomas Gensollen, Shankar S Iyer, Dennis L Kasper, Richard S Blumberg, Thomas Gensollen, Shankar S Iyer, Dennis L Kasper, Richard S Blumberg
Abstract
Microbial colonization of mucosal tissues during infancy plays an instrumental role in the development and education of the host mammalian immune system. These early-life events can have long-standing consequences: facilitating tolerance to environmental exposures or contributing to the development of disease in later life, including inflammatory bowel disease, allergy, and asthma. Recent studies have begun to define a critical period during early development in which disruption of optimal host-commensal interactions can lead to persistent and in some cases irreversible defects in the development and training of specific immune subsets. Here, we discuss the role of early-life education of the immune system during this "window of opportunity," when microbial colonization has a potentially critical impact on human health and disease.
Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Figures
![Fig. 1. iNKT cell colonization is regulated…](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/5050524/bin/nihms820036f1.jpg)
![Fig. 2. Exposure to a microbiota during…](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/5050524/bin/nihms820036f2.jpg)
![Fig. 3. T reg cells colonize the…](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/5050524/bin/nihms820036f3.jpg)
Source: PubMed