Editor’s Selections: M cells – gatekeepers or gateway in the gut, a home for bugs in our appendix, and exome sequencing bags a rare disease
November 20th, 2009 Editor's Selections 1 Comment
Vincent Racaniello selects several notable posts each week from molecular and cellular biology and virology. He blogs at virology blog.
- Transcytosis by microfold (M) cells, specialised intestinal cells located over mucosal lymphoid tissue called Peyer’s patches, is important for sampling microorganisms in the gut. The immune response to bacteria is mediated by glycoprotein 2, which is the M cell receptor for type I pili.
- The appendix has long been considered a useless, vestigial organ, because it can be removed with no visibly harmful effects. Recent evidence indicates that recent evidence posits that it plays a crucial role in maintaining important gut symbionts.
- The damaged gene in Miller’s syndrome, a rare Mendelian disorder, was identified by sequencing only 30 MB of the genome from four individuals with the affliction.
I’ll be back next Friday with more selections.
