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Epithelial decision makers: in search of the 'epimmunome'

Nature Immunology volume 11, pages 656–665 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Frequent microbial and nonmicrobial challenges to epithelial cells trigger discrete pathways, promoting molecular changes such as the secretion of specific cytokines and chemokines and alterations to molecules displayed at the epithelial cell surface. In combination, these molecules impose key decisions on innate and adaptive immune cells. Depending on context, those decisions can be as diverse as those imposed by professional antigen-presenting cells, benefiting the host by balancing immune competence with the avoidance of immunopathology. Nonetheless, this potency of epithelial cells is also consistent with the causal contribution of epithelial dysregulation to myriad inflammatory diseases. This pathogenic axis provides an attractive target for tissue-specific clinical manipulation. In this context, a research goal should be to identify all molecules used by epithelial cells to instruct immune cells. We term this the 'epimmunome'.

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Figure 1: Epithelial cells impose diverse decisions on immune cells.
Figure 2: Molecular axes of epithelial immune cell interactions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank many colleagues for insight. Supported by the Wellcome Trust and an UK Medical Research Council program grant for psoriasis research (A.H.); the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Marie Curie Program (M.S.), and the US National Institutes of Health (C.J., W.H.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, London, UK

    Mahima Swamy & Adrian Hayday

  2. Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, King's College London at Guy's Hospital, London, UK

    Mahima Swamy & Adrian Hayday

  3. Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    Colin Jamora

  4. Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA

    Wendy Havran

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Swamy, M., Jamora, C., Havran, W. et al. Epithelial decision makers: in search of the 'epimmunome'. Nat Immunol 11, 656–665 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.1905

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