An essential role of several specific intestinal bacteria in the intestinal IgA level is suggested. Fecal IgA concentration in mice from one breeder was significantly higher than that in mice from two other breeders. The level of segmented filamentous bacteria and four particular clostridia in mice from the former breeder are of particular importance in developing the IgA production and secreti...

The intestinal epithelium is in direct contact with a vast microbiota, yet little is known about how epithelial cells defend the host against the heavy bacterial load. To address this question we studied Paneth cells, a key small intestinal epithelial lineage. We found that Paneth cells directly sense enteric bacteria through cell-autonomous MyD88-dependent toll-like receptor (TLR) activation, ...

The mammalian gastrointestinal tract harbors thousands of bacterial species that include symbionts as well as potential pathogens. The immune responses that limit access of these bacteria to underlying tissue remain poorly defined. Here we show that γδ intraepithelial lymphocytes (γδ IEL) of the small intestine produce innate antimicrobial factors in response to resident bacterial "pathobionts"...

In the present study, enzyme-resistant dextrin, prepared by heating of potato starch in the presence of hydrochloric (0.1% dsb) and citric (0.1% dsb) acid at 130ºC for 3 h (CA-dextrin), was tested as a source of carbon for probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria cultured with intestinal bacteria isolated from feces of three healthy 70-year old volunteers. The dynamics of growth of bacterial m...

BACKGROUND The intestine is one of the first affected organs in Parkinson's disease (PD). PD subjects show abnormal staining for Escherichia coli and α-synuclein in the colon. METHODS We recruited 52 PD patients and 36 healthy cohabitants. We measured serum markers and quantified the numbers of 19 fecal bacterial groups/genera/species by quantitative RT-PCR of 16S or 23S rRNA. Although the si...

BACKGROUND Campylobacter enteritis represents a risk factor for the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) via unknown mechanisms. As IBD patients exhibit inflammatory responses to their commensal intestinal microflora, factors that induce translocation of commensal bacteria across the intestinal epithelium may contribute to IBD pathogenesis. This study sought to determine whether Camp...

Gut commensal bacteria play important roles in the development and homeostasis of intestinal immunity. However, the role of gut commensals in intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is unclear. To determine the roles of gut commensal bacteria in intestinal IR injury, we depleted gut microbiota with a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail and performed mesenteric I/R (M I/R). First, we confirm...

BACKGROUND The commensal intestinal microflora has important metabolic and perhaps also immune modulatory functions. Evidence has accumulated that the microflora plays a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the intestinal microflora and its interaction with the host. Presumably, this interaction takes place at the mucus layer. In this...