Has the Microbiota Played a Critical Role in the Evolution of the Adaptive Immune System?
A Gutsy Analysis
Efforts to sequence the human microbiome—the genomes of all the microbes that inhabit our bodies—have demonstrated its enormous diversity. Analyses to probe the various functions of the microbiota, particularly of those that reside in the gut, have revealed that our microbiota has a profound impact on the development and function of our immune systems. Lee and Mazmanian (p. 1768) review how the microbiota influences the development of the adaptive immune system. Specific species and families of microbiota support the differentiation of particular populations of T cells, and alterations in intestinal microbiota affect the development of inflammation and autoimmunity.
Abstract
Although microbes have been classically viewed as pathogens, it is now well established that the majority of host-bacterial interactions are symbiotic. During development and into adulthood, gut bacteria shape the tissues, cells, and molecular profile of our gastrointestinal immune system. This partnership, forged over many millennia of coevolution, is based on a molecular exchange involving bacterial signals that are recognized by host receptors to mediate beneficial outcomes for both microbes and humans. We explore how specific aspects of the adaptive immune system are influenced by intestinal commensal bacteria. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that mediate symbiosis between commensal bacteria and humans may redefine how we view the evolution of adaptive immunity and consequently how we approach the treatment of numerous immunologic disorders.
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Science
Volume 330 | Issue 6012
24 December 2010
24 December 2010
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Copyright © 2010, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Published in print: 24 December 2010
Acknowledgments
We thank members of the Mazmanian laboratory for their critical review of the manuscript. Supported by NIH grants DK078938, DK083633, and AI088626; the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation; and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (S.K.M.).
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- Yun Kyung Lee,
- Sarkis K. Mazmanian
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