In regular mice (left), immune cells called B cells (green) that produce a type of antibody called IgA are frequently found in the long, fingerlike structures called villi (purple) in the small intestine. The IgA-producing B cells keep friendly microbes from blocking absorption of dietary fat by epithelial cells (gray). In mice lacking intestinal microbes (right), there is a dearth of B cells (green and red) in the intestine, particularly the B cells that make IgA.
Credit: Amiran Dzutsev & Natalia Shulzhenko
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