Left: Model dynamics. (i) Breastfeeding and complementary feeding introduce human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), plant-derived polysaccharides (PDPs), (ii) mSIgA, and (iii) commensal bacteria to the gut lumen as SIgA-bacteria complexes or bacteria alone, alongside with the bacteria seeding the infant’s gut during vaginal birth. (iv) Bacterial populations modulate the inflammatory tone of the microenvironment of the gut lumen , (v) influencing epithelial cell-mediated communication with the organized gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) inductive sites, and (vi) the antigenic sampling through barrier integrity. (vii) SIgA-bound and unbound antigens sampled by Microfold (M) cells (viii) activate the naïve B cells, and (ix) drive the balance between antigen-specific regulatory vs. helper T cells (indicated by the divide sign). (x) This balance and shape the selection threshold for taxon , (xi) which determines the BCR affinity ranges that lead to different B cell fates: (xii) apoptosis, (xiii) continued circulation, or (xiv) terminal differentiation into IgA-secreting plasma cells. (xv) IgA secreted by the plasma cells regulates the microbiome via (xvi) masking and (xvii) neutralization functions. Alongside the HMOs and PDPs, (xviii) the oxygen concentration (O2) also influences the ecological dynamics based on commensals’ metabolism. Bottom right: GC reactions (steps 1–7, materials and methods, corresponding to (x)–(xiv) on the previous panel).
How does the developing #ImmuneSystem learn which #microbes to tolerate and which to resist? @jessmetcalf.bsky.social &co develop a mechanistic model of early-life interactions between the gut #microbiome & #AdaptiveImmunity, showing how immune tolerance is shaped @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4lsJ8i5