A group of proteins in our body, known as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), can detect various metabolites produced by microbiota, and trigger important immune responses and other pathways. However, it's still unclear which metabolites cause these reactions and what kind of immune responses they create.

The research group of Kiyoshi Takeda (WPI-IFReC/Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University) discovered that a receptor, called GPR31, is active in a specific type of immune cell found in the gut, known as conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s). They showed GPR31 causes the dendritic cells to extend their dendrites into the intestinal lumen to sense extraneous pathogens.
(online publication in Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. on October 21, 2024)

Contact

Kiyoshi Takeda Lab.

ktakedaongene.med.osaka-u.ac.jp

Mucosal Immunology