Journal
MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 47, Issue 7-8, Pages 1608-1612Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2010.01.015
Keywords
Mammary gland; IgA; VCAM-1; MAdCAM-1
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [RAI072769A]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The homing and migration of IgA antibody secreting cells (ASC) to the lactating mammary gland is essential to the passive transfer of immunity from mother to nursing neonate. Antibody secreting cells, located within the lactating mammary gland, produce high levels of antigen-specific IgA antibodies. These antibodies, which are subsequently transferred to the nursing neonate via breast milk, provide passive immune protection against antigens previously encountered by the mother to the nursing infant. The efficient homing and accumulation of lymphocytes is highly dependent on cellular adhesion molecules expressed on the vascular endothelium and their integrin ligands. Vasculature within the lactating mammary gland is known to express several adhesion molecules, including VCAM-1 and MAdCAM-1. However, the role of these molecules in vivo has not been previously described. Here we show that alpha 4 integrins and VCAM-1 play essential roles in mediating the accumulation of IgA ASCs to the lactating mammary gland. Conversely, neither MAdCAM-1 nor its major ligand alpha 4 beta 7 are required for efficient IgA ASC accumulation to this tissue. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available