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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

In Vivo Augmentation of Gut-Homing Regulatory T Cell Induction
Published on: January 22, 2020
Retinoic acid production by intestinal dendritic cells and its role in T-cell trafficking
1Laboratory of Biodefense Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kagawa Campus, Tokushima Bunri University, 1314-1 Shido, Sanuki-shi, Kagawa 769-2193, Japan. iwatam@kph.bunri-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Vitamin A deficiency causes a marked reduction in the number of T and B cells in the small intestinal tissues. The vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid imprints lymphocytes with gut-homing specificity upon antigenic stimulation. In the small intestinal lamina propria, Peyer's patches, and mesenteric lymph nodes, there are dendritic cells capable of producing retinoic acid. Their capacity depends on the expression of retinal dehydrogenases (RALDH). RALDH2, encoded by Aldh1a2, is a major isoform of RALDH in the intestinal dendritic cells under specific pathogen-free conditions, and can be induced by multiple factors constitutively present or induced in the small intestinal microenvironment.
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