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Infection and Immunity, July 1999, p. 3504-3511, Vol. 67, No. 7
Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological
Research,
Received 4 March 1999/Accepted 26 April 1999
The presence of microflora in the digestive tract promotes the
development of the intestinal immune system. In this study, to evaluate
the roles of two types of indigenous microbe, segmented filamentous
bacteria (SFB) and clostridia, whose habitats are the small and large
intestines, respectively, in this immunological development, we
analyzed three kinds of gnotobiotic mice contaminated with SFB,
clostridia, and both SFB and clostridia, respectively, in comparison
with germfree (GF) or conventionalized (Cvd) mice associated with
specific-pathogen-free flora. In the small intestine, the number of
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Differential Roles of Segmented Filamentous Bacteria and
Clostridia in Development of the Intestinal Immune System

T-cell receptor-bearing intraepithelial lymphocytes (
IEL) increased in SFB-associated mice (SFB-mice) but not in clostridium-associated mice (Clost-mice). There was no great difference in V
usage among GF mice, Cvd mice, and these gnotobiotic mice, although the association with SFB decreased the proportion of V
6+ cells in CD8
subsets to some
extent, compared to that in GF mice. The expression of major
histocompatibility complex class II molecules on the epithelial cells
was observed in SFB-mice but not in Clost-mice. On the other hand, in
the large intestine, the ratio of the number of CD4
CD8+ cells to that of CD4+ CD8
cells in 
IEL increased in Clost-mice but not in SFB-mice. On association with both SFB and clostridia, the numbers and phenotypes of
IEL in the small and large intestines changed to become similar to
those in Cvd mice. In particular, the ratio of the number of CD8
+ cells to that of CD8
+ cells in

IEL, unusually elevated in the small intestines of SFB-mice,
decreased to the level in Cvd mice on contamination with both SFB and
clostridia. The number of immunoglobulin A (IgA)-producing cells in the
lamina propria was more elevated in SFB-mice than in Clost-mice, not
only in the ileum but also in the colon. The number of IgA-producing
cells in the colons of Clost-mice was a little increased compared to
that in GF mice. Taken together, SFB and clostridia promoted the
development of both IEL and IgA-producing cells in the small intestine
and that of only IEL in the large intestine, respectively, suggesting
the occurrence of compartmentalization of the immunological responses
to the indigenous bacteria between the small and large intestines.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Yakult Central
Institute for Microbiological Research, Yaho 1796, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan. Phone: 81-42-577-8960. Fax: 81-42-577-3020. E-mail: hfg00420{at}nifty.ne.jp.
Infection and Immunity, July 1999, p. 3504-3511, Vol. 67, No. 7
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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