Barrier function and the immune system
- Submission status
- Open
The immune system’s front line of defence against pathogens are the barriers presented by surfaces including the skin, gut mucosa and airway epithelium. Whilst providing a physical barrier through a highly structured arrangement of cells, tissues also present a chemical barrier in the form of secretions that prevent pathogenic attachment. Pathogens interact with these barriers through specific receptors and molecular pathways and disruption of barrier function is one of the major triggers of the inflammatory response. Impaired barrier function is also associated with autoimmune diseases, such as gastrointestinal disease, and is therefore a target for the development of novel treatment strategies.
This Collection welcomes manuscripts that increase our understanding of the role and mechanisms of barrier function in the immune response in a range of tissues, study how this response is modulated by interactions with various pathogens or in autoimmune diseases, and explore novel treatment strategies that restore or regulate barrier function.
Editors
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Marina Casalino-Matsuda
Northwestern University, USA
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Brice Sperandio
INSERM, France
