Misc

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are characterized by relapsing and remitting chronic intestinal inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated the contributions of genetic background, environmental factors (food, microbiota, use of antibiotics), and host immunity in the development of IBDs. More than 200 genes have been shown to influence IBD susceptibility, most of which are involved in immunity. The vertebrate immune system comprises a complex network of innate and adaptive immune cells that protect the host from infection and cancer. Dysregulation of the mutualistic relationship between the immune system and the gut environment results in IBD. Considering the fundamental role of epigenetic regulation in immune cells, epigenetic mechanisms, particularly in T helper (Th) cells, may play a major role in the complex regulation of mucosal immunity. Epigenetic regulation and dysregulation of Th cells are involved in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and its breakdown in IBD.

The number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease is rapidly increasing in developed countries. The main cause of this increase is thought not to be genetic, but secondary to rapidly modernized environmental change. Changes in the environment have been detrimental to enteric probiotics useful for fermentation, inducing an increase in pathobionts that survive by means other than fermentation. This dysregulated microbiota composition, the so-called dysbiosis, is believed to have increased the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease. Bacteriotherapy, a treatment that prophylactically and therapeutically corrects the composition of disturbed intestinal microbiota, is a promising recent development. In fact, fecal microbiome transplantation for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection in 2013 was a significant contribution for bacteriotherapy. In this paper, we comprehensively review bacteriotherapy in an easy-to-understand format.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a recently identified family of lymphoid effector cells. ILCs are mainly clustered into 3 groups based on their unique cytokine profiles and transcription factors typically attributed to the subsets of T helper cells. ILCs have a critical role in the mucosal immune response through promptly responding to pathogens and producing large amount of effector cytokines of type 1, 2, or 3 responses. In addition to the role of early immune responses against infections, ILCs, particularly group 2 ILCs (ILC2), have recently gained attention for modulating remodeling and fibrosis especially in the mucosal tissues. Herein, we overview the current knowledge in this area, highlighting roles of ILCs on fibrosis in the mucosal tissues, especially focusing on the gut and lung. We also discuss some new directions for future research by extrapolating from knowledge derived from studies on Th cells.

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG, Stuttgart - New York. In the above-mentioned article, the name of the author Kaoru Takabayashi has been corrected. This was corrected in the online version on August 24, 2018.