Host-commensal cross talk at the cutaneous interface
Our body's epithelial surfaces are colonized by a diverse array of commensal organisms. While the contribution of intestinal commensals to metabolism, tissue development, and immunity has been extensively examined, the role of flora inhabiting other barrier sites in maintaining host physiology is poorly understood. Moreover, how resident commensals control unique physiological niches and the mechanisms underlying the host-microbial dialogue in distinct tissue sites requires elucidation. In Chapter 2 we find that murine skin, similar to human skin, houses unique commensal communities in topologically distinct niches. Furthermore, skin sites of both mice and non-human primates enriched with commensal niches contain more inflammatory T cells. Given that the skin forms a critical interface with the terrestrial environment and is an opportunistic site for pathogen entry, this tissue represents a highly relevant barrier site for studying the discrete interactions between resident immune cells and local flora outside the intestine
Thesis, Dissertation, English, 2012