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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Induced Differentiation of M Cell-like Cells in Human Stem Cell-derived Ileal Enteroid Monolayers
Published on: July 26, 2019
Transepithelial transport and mucosal defence I: the role of M cells
1Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
How do cells of the immune system encounter the majority of antigens that enter the body through the gut and airways? The epithelia lining these systems contain a remarkable cell type, the M cell, that delivers antigens across the epithelium to lymphocytes and macrophages. In this article, Marian Neutra and Jean-Pierre Kraehenbuhl describe the structure of the M cell, its function in promoting the immune response and its exploitation by invading pathogens. In the next issue of Trends in Cell Biology, these authors will review the other immunological function of epithelia, secretion of polymeric IgA.
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