# CELLULAR AND HUMORAL BASES OF MUCOSAL IMMUNE RESPONSE

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 1987 · $306,891

## Abstract

Peyer's patches and other mucosal lymphoid follicles may play several roles
in the generation of a secretory immune response manifest at a particular
near or distant site:  (1) 'antigen-sampling' accomplished by passage of
intact macromolecules through specimized dome epithelial cells; (2) clonal
expansion of their antigen-sensitive cells stimulated locally by the
passaged antigen; (3) provision of a special milieu for generation of more
secondary' IgA precursor cells; (4) release of IgA precursors which rapidly
become non-recirculating IgA-immunoblasts and lodge in mucosal and exocrine
tissue; and (5) release of long-lived, recirculating IgA precursors that
can contribute to 'local' secretory immunity at a distant site upon
subsequent exposure to antigen there.  One overall objective of this
project has been to determine how 'environmental' antigens, maternal
antibodies passively acquired perinatally, deliberate infections via a
mucosal route or deliberate exposure of mucosae to macromolecular,
non-living antigens may influence the population of lymphoid cells in
murine mucosal follicles and hence prejudice a subsequent secretory,
IgA-antibody response by the mouse.  A second major objective is to
elucidate the molecular bases for (a) sessile-motile transitions occurring
in mucosal follicles to release specific lymphoid cells into the
circulation; (b) for the restriction of these cells to certain
recirculation pathways and to certain blood-tissue egress sites; and (c)
for the selective lodging of IgA cells in mucosal or exocrine tissue.  A
third general objective of our studies is to identify the B-cell/T-cell
interactions relevant to the expression and control of a mucosal IgA
response and to define the pertinent in vivo sites where these interactions
may occur.  A final main onjective is to understand, in general, how
mucosal follicles come to accumulate such relatively high frequencies of
IgA precursor cells of certain specificities and, in particular, the
molecular mechanisms operative during the process of B-cell differentiation
leading to a commitment to IgA expression.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3127615
- **Project number:** 5R01AI017997-08
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** GM1XX56LEP58
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN J CEBRA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $306,891
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1980-09-01 → 1988-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3127615

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3127615, CELLULAR AND HUMORAL BASES OF MUCOSAL IMMUNE RESPONSE (5R01AI017997-08). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3127615. Licensed CC0.

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