Gut & MicrobiomeGut Bacteria Control How Vitamin A Shapes Your Immune System
Scientists at UT Southwestern have discovered that gut bacteria direct how vitamin A moves through the body to shape immune cell development. The microbiota triggers a three-day relay in which vitamin A derivatives travel from intestinal lining cells to immune myeloid cells, and finally to developing T cells in the lymph nodes. This process is initiated by bacterial signals that activate serum amyloid A proteins, which act as vitamin A carriers between cell types. The pathway is especially active in early life when gut immunity is first being established. This finding explains a key mechanism by which gut bacteria influence immune programming, with potential implications for understanding how diet, microbiome health, and immune development intersect throughout life.
