B cell-helping functions of gut microbial metabolites
Authors:Chang H. Kim1,2,3,4
doi: 10.15698/mic2016.10.536
Volume 3, pp. 529 to 531, published 23/09/2016.
1 Laboratory of Immunology and Hematopoiesis, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, U.S.A.
2 Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, U.S.A.
3 Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Diseases; Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, U.S.A.
4 Purdue Center for Cancer Research; Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, U.S.A.
Keywords:
commensal bacteria, dietary fiber, short-chain fatty acids, acetate, propionate, butyrate, B cells, antibodies, immunity.
Corresponding Author(s):
Conflict of interest statement:
The author declares no conflict of interest.
Please cite this article as:
Chang H. Kim (2016). B cell-helping functions of gut microbial metabolites. Microbial Cell 3(10): 529-531. doi: 10.15698/mic2016.10.536
© 2016 Chang H. Kim. This is an open-access article released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are acknowledged.
Abstract:
Commensal microflora profoundly affects the host immune system. It has long been observed that commensal bacteria enhance antibody production in the host by producing antigens for B cell receptors (BCR) and ligands for Toll-like receptors (TLR). We recently reported that the microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) regulate the metabolism and gene expression in B cells to promote antibody production (Kim et al. Gut Microbial Metabolites Fuel Host Antibody Responses. Cell Host & Microbe. 2016; 20(2):202-14). The B-cell helping function of SCFAs and its implication in the host immune system are discussed in this article.