The paper
H.J. Wu et al., “Gut-residing segmented filamentous bacteria drive autoimmune arthritis via T helper 17 cells,” Immunity, 32:815-27, 2010. Free F1000 Evaluation
The finding
The trillions of microbes that reside in the human gut shape their host’s immune system—for better or for worse. In a mouse model of autoimmune arthritis, Diane Mathis from Harvard University and colleagues found that gut bacteria can provoke autoimmune disease in distant parts of the body—the joints.
The surprise
When investigators raised transgenic mice (which develop the disease at 4 weeks of age) in germ-free conditions, the animals developed a milder version of the disease much later. Germ-free mice lack immune cells called T helper 17 cells (Th17), because these cells require the gut bacteria called segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) to properly develop. When Mathis blocked IL-17—secreted by Th17 cells—in the normally raised mouse model, disease progression was also attenuated.
The link
Mathis ...
