Neuronal-Intraepithelial Lymphocyte Interactions at the Intestinal Mucosa

• Autor(a) principal: Soares, Raquel Maia de Carvalhal
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/90740
• topic: Intraepithelial Lymphocytes; Neuroimmune Interactions; Metabolism; Enteric Inflammatory Diseases; Metabolic Diseases; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Outras Engenharias e Tecnologias

Intestinal Intraepithelial Lymphocytes (IELs) are located at the critical interface between the intestinal lumen and the core of the body. Besides constituting the first line of immune defence at the intestinal mucosa, IELs are also essential regulators of this organ homeostasis. Growing amount of evidence suggest that the immune cell function can be modulated by signals from the intestinal innervation. Importantly, this neuroimmune communication has been shown to be fundamental for the protection of the intestinal mucosa against pathogens and for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Our preliminary analysis indicated that IELs possess the machinery to integrate neuron-derived signals, therefore we hypothesized that neuronal cues can modulate the function of IELs. We further showed that specific neuronal signals alter the gene expression profile of IELs. Moreover, we also demonstrated the impact of extrinsic factors, such as diet, in shaping these regulatory responses. These findings establish a possible new layer of local and systemic homeostatic regulation that can be crucial for health.