| Popis: |
Mucosal surfaces and the skin are tissues that are exposed directly to environmental antigens. They are both characterized by the presence of an epithelium exerting a barrier function and by the presence of dendritic/Langerhans’ cells which capture and transport antigens from the tissue for presentation to naive T cells in draining lymph nodes. Mucocutaneous tissues belong to integrated immune systems, including “MALT” (mucosal associated lymphoid tissues) and “SALT” (the skin associated lymphoid tissues). In contrast to the skin epithelium, which is a stratified squamous keratinizing malpighian epithelium, the epithelia overlying mucosal surfaces at different sites in the body differ dramatically in their organization and their antigen-sampling strategies. |
