Special features of the intestinal lymphocytic system

The gastrointestinal lymphocytic system can be divided in two functional compartments, the organized lymphoid tissue, for example, the Peyer's patches, and the lymphocytes located diffusely in the mucosa, the lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL), and the intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IEL). Antigens enter the Peyer's patches as the afferent part of the GALT via specialized epithelial cells called M cells. After the initiation of the immune response by antigen processing and presentation to B and T cells in Peyer's patches, primed lymphocytes leave the mucosa via the thoracic duct. Finally they migrate back to the mucosa where they exert effector functions. Adhesion molecules, including integrins, especially alpha 4 beta 7 and alpha E beta 7 (HML-1) are involved in these homing and adhesion processes. LPL and LEL differ from peripheral blood lymphocytes in their expression of adhesion molecules and other surface and activation markers. Additionally, they exhibit functional features different from those of other lymphocyte compartments. In the mucosal immune system, plasma cells mainly secrete IgA, which is part of the specialized humoral defence in the gut.