Rm. Hershberg et Lf. Mayer, Antigen processing and presentation by intestinal epithelial cells - polarity and complexity, IMMUNOL TOD, 21(3), 2000, pp. 123-128
The mechanisms by which gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) maintains a b
alance between oral tolerance and active immune response in the face of exp
osure to high antigen concentrations remains a central question in mucosal
immunity. Here, Robert Hershberg ann colleagues discuss the evidence that h
uman intestinal epithelial cells function as antigen-presenting cells (APCs
) capable of regulating T-cell responses in the intestinal mucosa.