The gut epithelium—A first level lymphoid organ?

Demonstration of Antibody in Rabbit Feces after Active or Passive Parenteral Immunization

“…In the work of Mitchison [15], the cells collected from infused intestinal loops did not include the large numbers of lym phocytes described by earlier investigators. More recently, Ficlitelius and others [5,12] have provided evidence th at while lymphocytes within epithelial cells move in large numbers towards the tips of intestinal villi, they stay in the basal portion of the epithelial cells and m igrate back into the lam ina propria before reaching the villus tips. While not directly studied in the present experim ent, immunoglobulin production by local antibody-forming cells has been the basis of the work of Tomasi and others [22,26] on the unique features of secretory IgA.…”

ANTIBODIES OF THE IgA TYPE IN INTESTINAL PLASMA CELLS OF GERMFREE MICE AFTER ORAL OR PARENTERAL IMMUNIZATION WITH FERRITIN

“…It may be relevant to mention the intimate relationships which have been described between the epithelium of the gut and small lymphocytes, in this connection called "theliolymphocytes" (40,41). The role of the epithelium as a foster tissue for theliolymphocytes, suggested by Fichtelius et al (40,41), might be conceived to extend to the predifferentiation of these lymphoid cells toward the production of IgA-type antibodies, according to the first hypothesis outlined above.…”

“…The role of the epithelium as a foster tissue for theliolymphocytes, suggested by Fichtelius et al (40,41), might be conceived to extend to the predifferentiation of these lymphoid cells toward the production of IgA-type antibodies, according to the first hypothesis outlined above. Alternatively, if a special mechanism of antigen processing were to be retained, the epithelium might be cast in the role of the antigenprocessing tissue, and its physical contact with theliolymphocytes viewed as reflecting the transfer of antigenic material from the former to the latter.…”

CD3- Leukocytes Present in the Human Uterus During Early Placentation: Phenotypic and MorphologicCharacterization of the CD56++ Population

“…There is now a great deal of interest in the nonclassical HLA-G antigen whose expression appears to be restricted only to extravillous trophoblast (Ellis et al, 1990;Kovats et al, 1990 (Storkus et al, 1989). This phenomenon has led to the "missing self" hypothesis, which states that the absence of self-HLA on target cells is seen by NK cells, rather than the presence of some other distinct NK receptor (Ljunggren and Karre, 1990 (Fichtelius, 1968;Campana et al, 1989). Analogous granulated CD3-, CD7 /, but CD56-cells are found in the intraepithelial component of the gut (Jarry et al, 1990).…”