Fueling IgA production | Nature Immunology


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Intestinal microbiota and their metabolites can regulate both local and systemic immunity. In Cell Host and Microbe, Kim and colleagues find that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by


bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber modulate the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the gut. Mice fed low-fiber diets generate fewer IgA+ B cells and IgA-producing plasma cells in a


microbiota-dependent manner. Administration of SCFAs themselves produces a similar effect through an increase in IgA production and directly skews the B cell transcriptional program toward


antibody production, probably through the deacetylase-inhibitory activity of SCFAs. Another important function of the SCFAs is their help in driving the metabolically demanding activity of


class switching and antibody synthesis by boosting B cell glycolysis. A diet rich in fiber and SCFAs helps to support an effective IgA-mediated response to the gut pathogen Citrobacter


rodentium.


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