Interactions Between the Microbiota and the Immune System
Abstract
The large numbers of microorganisms that inhabit mammalian body surfaces have a highly coevolved relationship with the immune system. Although many of these microbes carry out functions that are critical for host physiology, they nevertheless pose the threat of breach with ensuing pathologies. The mammalian immune system plays an essential role in maintaining homeostasis with resident microbial communities, thus ensuring that the mutualistic nature of the host-microbial relationship is maintained. At the same time, resident bacteria profoundly shape mammalian immunity. Here, we review advances in our understanding of the interactions between resident microbes and the immune system and the implications of these findings for human health.
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Volume 336 | Issue 6086
8 June 2012
8 June 2012
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Copyright © 2012, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Acknowledgments
L.V.H. is supported by NIH grant DK070855, a Burroughs Wellcome Foundation Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases Award, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. D.R.L. is supported by NIH grant AI080885 and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A.J.M. is supported by Swiss National Science Foundation grants 310030-1247324 and CRSII3_136286.
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