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Microfold Cells

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Microfold  Cells or M Cells

Where the M Cells present?

Microfold  Cells or M Cells are present in follicle-associated epithelium (FAE)

Follicle -associated epithelium is a specialized epithelium present over  Peyer’s  patch in small intestine and isolated lymphoid follicles.

M cells are seen in epithelial cells of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues.

Microfold cells (or M cells) are found in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) of the Peyer's patches in the small intestine, and in the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

Microfold cells (or M cells) are found
1 GALT - Gut-associated lymphoid tissue Peyer's patches in the small intestine
2 MALT - Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue Other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

What are the antigen-presenting cells?

Antigen-presenting cells
1 B lymphocytes
2 Dendritic cells

What is function of the M Cells?

M cells helps to transport antigens from intestinal lumen to  immune system cells, and starts

an immune response or tolerance.

M cells function are phagocytosis and transcytosis. M cells are capable of taking up large particulate antigens from the lumen and transporting them intact into the subepithelial space.

Function of the M Cells
1 Selective endocytosis of antigens from gut lumen
2 Transport of microbes and antigens to intraepithelial macrophages and lymphocytes
3 Macrophages and lymphocytes migrate to lymph nodes to start immune response

How the M Cells take up antigens from lumen and delivered to antigen-presenting cells?

M Cells mechanism to take up antigens
1 Endocytosis
2 Phagocytosis
3 Transcytosis

Which pathogens exploit M Cells ?

Mechanism of exploiting M Cells Organisms
To penetrate intestinal epithelium Shigella flexneri
Salmonella typhimurium
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
Prions- bovine spongiform encephalitis (Mad-cow disease)
Exploitation as a virulence factor EPEC -Pathogenic Escherichia coli
For Dissemination Polio and Reovirus

How polio virus exploits M Cells for dissemination?

M cells express lectin-like molecules in the apical surface. These molecules  help to promote binding to poliovirus and helps in dissemination.

What is the mechanism where M cells involved with IgA response in payer patches?

Antigens that bind to the M cell and are transported to the underlying Peyer patches generally elicit a positive (IgA) response.

M cell helps to connect  Peyer patches and lymphoid follicles as conduit.

Once antigens enter the Peyer patch, TGF-β-secreting T cells promote B cell isotype switching to IgA.


If Peyer patch B cells are absent then  M cells are also absent. [M cells have not seen in B cell–deficient animals, which lack Peyer patches]

Peyer  patches have T cell-dependent areas and B cell-dependent/germinal centers typical of lymph nodes, but only efferent lymphatics.