Human gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT); diversity, structure, and function

Gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) are the key antigen sampling and adaptive immune inductive sites within the intestinal wall. Human GALT includes the multi-follicular Peyer’s patches of the ileum, the vermiform appendix, and the numerous isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) which are distributed along the length of the intestine. Our current understanding of GALT diversity and function derives primarily from studies in mice, and the relevance of many of these findings to human GALT remains unclear.

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