@article {1155056, title = {Microbial exposure during early life has persistent effects on natural killer T cell function}, journal = {Science}, volume = {336}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Apr 27}, pages = {489-93}, abstract = {Exposure to microbes during early childhood is associated with protection from immune-mediated diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma. Here, we show that in germ-free (GF) mice, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells accumulate in the colonic lamina propria and lung, resulting in increased morbidity in models of IBD and allergic asthma as compared with that of specific pathogen-free mice. This was associated with increased intestinal and pulmonary expression of the chemokine ligand CXCL16, which was associated with increased mucosal iNKT cells. Colonization of neonatal-but not adult-GF mice with a conventional microbiota protected the animals from mucosal iNKT accumulation and related pathology. These results indicate that age-sensitive contact with commensal microbes is critical for establishing mucosal iNKT cell tolerance to later environmental exposures.}, keywords = {Aging, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Antigens, CD1d, Asthma, Bacteria, Chemokine CXCL16, Chemokine CXCL6, Colitis, Ulcerative, Colon, Disease Models, Animal, Disease Susceptibility, DNA Methylation, Germ-Free Life, Intestinal Mucosa, Intestines, Lung, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Natural Killer T-Cells, Oxazolone, Receptors, CXCR, Receptors, CXCR6, Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms}, author = {Olszak, Torsten and An, Dingding and Zeissig, Sebastian and Vera, Miguel Pinilla and Richter, Julia and Franke, Andre and Glickman, Jonathan N and Siebert, Reiner and Baron, Rebecca M and Kasper, Dennis L and Blumberg, Richard S} }