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Updated: Sep 16, 2026

Isolation and Flow Cytometric Characterization of Murine Small Intestinal Lymphocytes
08:14

Isolation and Flow Cytometric Characterization of Murine Small Intestinal Lymphocytes

Published on: May 8, 2016

Intraepithelial lymphocytes of the intestinal mucosa: curiouser and curiouser

L Lefrançois1

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, MI 49001.

Seminars in Immunology
|March 1, 1991
PubMed

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) of the intestine are discussed in light of recent findings concerning their ontogeny and T cell receptor expression. IEL are distinct from other peripheral T cells in many aspects, including their homing abilities and their phenotypic characteristics. IEL that express the gamma/delta T cell receptor are singular in that the thymus is not required for their maturation or for the selection of certain T cell receptor variable regions. Despite recent efforts, the in vivo function of IEL with gamma/delta T cell receptors remains unclear. Overall, IEL and the associated mucosa represent a complex lymphoid organ that will be the object of much future experimentation.

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