Shaping Gut Immunity with Intestinal Epithelial-Immune Dynamics in Peyer's Patches.

How they are programmed in different intestinal tissues and their role during enteric infections has not been resolved. Here, we demonstrate that M cells are critical for B cell activation and IgA production that shapes the intestinal microbiome and maintains steady-state intestinal epithelial integrity.

Tuft cells and M cells share expression of SPI-B. Molecular mapping revealed that M cells exhibit significant heterogeneity including tissue-specific and pathogen-specific tailored programs. These include key pathways regulating fatty acid uptake and metabolism in the intestinal epithelium. Confocal imaging demonstrated that Peyer’s patch SPI-B+ M cells act to retain group 3 innate lymphoid cells and IL-22 production within the Peyer's patch epithelium.