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Fig. 2 | Cell & Bioscience

Fig. 2

From: Function and dysfunction of plasma cells in intestine

Fig. 2

An illustration of the working hypothesis of intestinal PC maturation and metastasis. T and B lymphocytes are abundant in the lymphatic tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. Some of the activated B cells begin to proliferate and generate GCs within PPs or MLNs, where affinity maturation and likely isotype switching from IgM to IgA occur. Most of the fully differentiated B cells leave PPs and MLNs and migrate to the blood. Next, under the action of chemokines, they transfer from the blood circulation to the LP of the small intestine. The IgA PCs express CCR9 and migrate to the small intestine [134], while the expression of CCR10/CXCR4 causes migration to the colon [133]. The IgM and IgG PCs that express CXCR3/CXCR4 migrate to the bone marrow. Lymphocytes from small intestinal lymph nodes return not only to the lamina propria and epithelial cells of the small intestine but also to the lamina propria and epithelial cells of the lungs, mammary gland, and female reproductive system, which is the common mucosal immune system (common mucosal immunologic system, CMIS)

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