Origin and Homing of Intestinal IgA Antibody-secreting Cells

Origin and Homing of Intestinal IgA Antibody-secreting Cells

The fact that IgA comprises the body's major isotype of antibody on a biosynthetic basis is not widely appreciated because IgG, not IgA, is the predominant isotype in serum. Nevertheless, the bulk of the body's Ig-producing cells reside in the various mucosal and exocrine sites, especially along the intestinal tract, and most of them make IgA anti-bodies against environmental antigens, includin...

Intestinal Extravasation of IgA Antibody-Secreting Cells

Generation of gut-homing IgA-secreting B cells by intestinal dendritic cells.

Normal intestinal mucosa contains abundant immunoglobulin A (IgA)-secreting cells, which are generated from B cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). We show that dendritic cells (DC) from GALT induce T cell-independent expression of IgA and gut-homing receptors on B cells. GALT-DC-derived retinoic acid (RA) alone conferred gut tropism but could not promote IgA secretion. However, RA p...

Origin of IgA-secreting plasma cells in the mammary gland

Lymphoblasts from the mesenteric lymph nodes (MN) of mice home to the mammary glands of syngeneic recipients late in pregnancy and during lactation, and within hours of transfer most can be shown to contain IgA. Homing does not occur in virgins, in early pregnancy, or after weaning. Homing MN lymphoblasts are sensitive to antiserum to IgA plus complement, but not to other class-specific antiser...

The Intestinal Chemokine Thymus-expressed Chemokine (CCL25) Attracts IgA Antibody-secreting Cells

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) provides protection against pathogens at mucosal surfaces. Chemotactic responses have been hypothesized to target IgA plasma cells involved in mucosal immune responses. We show here that thymus-expressed chemokine (TECK, CCL25) is a potent and selective chemoattractant for IgA antibody-secreting cells (ASC), efficiently recruiting IgA-producing cells from spleen, Peyer's ...