Maternal Immunoglobulin A regulates the development of the neonatal microbiota and intestinal microbiota-specific CD4+ T cell responses
Year: 2024
Type: preprint
Abstract: Breast milk is a complex mixture of nutrients and bioactives that promote infant development and decrease the incidence of chronic inflammatory disease. We investigated the role of one milk-derived bioactive, Immunoglobulin A (IgA) on the developing small intestinal microbiota and immune system. We demonstrate that early in life, milk-derived IgA suppressed colonization of the small intestine by Enterobacteriaceae and regulated the maturation of the small intestinal epithelium and the development of intestinal IL-17-producing CD4 + T cells. Enterobacteriaceae - specific CD4 + T cells, induced in the first weeks of life in the absence of milk-derived IgA, persisted in the intestine as memory T cells that can contribute to inflammatory disease later in life. Our study suggests that milk-derived IgA shapes mucosal immunity by regulating the neonatal microbiota thus preventing the development of long-lived intestinal microbiota-specific T cells.
Authors: Darryl A. Abbott, Ali T. Rai, Aaron Yang, Yixuan Cai, Shelcie Fabre, Austin J. Frazer, Jacob D. Deschepper, Amanda C. Poholek, Timothy W. Hand
Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Topic: Infant Nutrition and Health
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4399596203