Unraveling the Spatial Dynamics of Immune-Epithelial Interactions in the Intestinal Tract

Intetsinal epithelium is the frontline of the gut mucosal barrier and consists of diversified epithelia cells playing different rols in the host defense against invading microorgansiums. Here, we studied the Microfold (M) cells located in the different regions of the intestine and generated a blueprint of M cells, in particular their gene expression and matuation programs. M cells, under steady state and the stress of pathogen (Salmonella or Citrobactor) invasion, were shown to have distinct gene expression profiles, highlighting their roles in denfensing different pathogens.