Autoimmune & Inflammation The Gut's Doorway Cells Have a Second Job: Landlord to Its Barrier Defenders
Microfold cells were filed away as passive antigen samplers. In mice, they turn out to build and staff the niche that keeps the gut's IL-22 defenders alive, the cytokine that fortifies the intestinal barrier and keeps sampled bacteria contained inside its immune outposts.
By Sarah Okonkwo · September 5, 2026