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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

CCR9, migration, IgA, antibody secreting cells, mouse salivary glands

College

Life Sciences

Department

Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Abstract

IgA is the most common antibody isotype involved in the immune system’s defense of mucosal membranes. In order to migrate and accumulate at these sites, IgA antibody secreting cells rely on chemokines. These chemokines, which are proteins differentially secreted in different tissues, bind to chemokine receptors on the cell’s surface. By discovering which receptors are important for immune cell migration to specific sites, we can gain a better understanding of how the immune system functions. This could eventually lead to better treatment of autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases, as well as to the development of better vaccines. My goal was to demonstrate whether or not the chemokine receptor CCR9 affects homing, migration, and accumulation of IgA antibody secreting cells (ASCs) to the salivary glands of mice. While CCR10 has been shown to be a very influential receptor in immune cell migration to the sublingual gland, I hypothesized that CCR9 replaces CCR10 as the major receptor in cell migration to the submandibular gland. This would indicate that cell migration, even in very similar tissues like the salivary glands, is a highly regulated and tightly controlled process.

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