Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Sep;303(1):119-137.
doi: 10.1111/imr.12980. Epub 2021 May 27.

Fantastic IgA plasma cells and where to find them

Baweleta Isho  1 , Alexandra Florescu  1 , Angela A Wang  1 , Jennifer L Gommerman  1
Affiliations
Review

Fantastic IgA plasma cells and where to find them

Baweleta Isho et al. Immunol Rev. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

IgA is produced in large quantities at mucosal surfaces by IgA+ plasma cells (PC), protecting the host from pathogens, and restricting commensal access to the subepithelium. It is becoming increasingly appreciated that IgA+ PC are not constrained to mucosal barrier sites. Rather, IgA+ PC may leave these sites where they provide both host defense and immunoregulatory function. In this review, we will outline how IgA+ PC are generated within the mucosae and how they subsequently migrate to their "classical" effector site, the gut lamina propria. From there we provide examples of IgA+ PC displacement from the gut to other parts of the body, referencing examples during homeostasis and inflammation. Lastly, we will speculate on mechanisms of IgA+ PC displacement to other tissues. Our aim is to provide a new perspective on how IgA+ PC are truly fantastic beasts of the immune system and identify new places to find them.

Keywords: IgA; IgA plasma cells (PC); Peyer's patches (PP); autoimmune disease; bone marrow (BM); intestinal lamina propria (LP); mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN).

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. LeBien TW, Tedder TF. B lymphocytes: how they develop and function. Blood. 2008;112(5):1570-1580.
    1. MacLennan IC, Toellner KM, Cunningham AF, et al. Extrafollicular antibody responses. Immunol Rev. 2003;194(1):8-18.
    1. Macpherson AJ, McCoy KD, Johansen FE, Brandtzaeg P. The immune geography of IgA induction and function. Mucosal Immunol. 2008;1(1):11-22.
    1. Fagarasan S, Kinoshita K, Muramatsu M, Ikuta K, Honjo T. In situ class switching and differentiation to IgA-producing cells in the gut lamina propria. Nature. 2001;413(6856):639-643.
    1. Yamamoto M, Kweon M-N, Rennert PD, et al. Role of gut-associated lymphoreticular tissues in antigen-specific intestinal IgA immunity. J Immunol. 2004;173(2):762-769.

Publication types

Substances

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources