Mucosal immunology
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Intestinal lymphoid tissues have to simultaneously ensure protection against pathogens and tolerance toward commensals. Despite such vital functions, their development in the colon is poorly understood. ⋯ Subsequent dendritic cell recruitment to and gp38(+)VCAM-1(+) lymphoid stromal cell differentiation within SILTs required LTα; B-cell recruitment and follicular dendritic cell differentiation depended on MyD88-mediated signaling, but not the microflora. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that different mechanisms, mediated mainly by programmed stimuli, induce the formation of distinct colonic lymphoid tissues, therefore suggesting that these tissues may have different functions.