Benedetta Sposito

MicrobiotaMi Comment 25_21
by Benedetta Sposito

It is well known that the microbiota influences the development and skewing of the intestinal immune system. Among the multiplicity of innate and adaptive immune cells that colonize the intestine, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis and tolerance to commensal bacteria. Previous reports have described the ability of specific commensals to induce differentiation of RORγ⁺ Tregs in the mouse colon. Interestingly, these microbial …

MicrobiotaMi Comment 13_21
by Benedetta Sposito

Mucosal surfaces are the interface between the host and its commensal microbiota. In newborns the first microbial encounters (or lack of them) have the potential to imprint the mucosal epithelium and immune system in a beneficial or detrimental manner.

MicrobiotaMi Comment 02_20
by Benedetta Sposito

Type I Interferons (IFN-I) represent one of the first lines of defense against viral infections. They are rapidly upregulated by almost every cell in the body upon stimulation of different pattern recognition receptors. However, low levels of IFN-I are constitutively expressed and play homeostatic functions. The cellular sources and the stimuli that regulate IFN-I induction in the absence of infection are still under study.