Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Human immunology

The case for BALT in human respiratory immunity

Nature Immunology volume 24, pages 1220–1221 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT), which develops in the lung during infancy before declining over childhood, supports localized immune reactions against airway infections in early life including the generation of germinal center-like B cells specific for respiratory pathogens.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Distinct cellular composition and antigen reactivities of BALT B cell immunity in early life.

References

  1. Bienenstock, J. & Befus, D. Am. J. Anat. 170, 437–445 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Matsumoto, R. et al. Nat. Immunol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01557-3 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Pabst, R. Ann. Anat. 240, 151833 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Gould, S. J. & Isaacson, P. G. J. Pathol. 169, 229–234 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Heier, I. et al. Thorax 66, 151–156 (2011).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Halle, S. et al. J. Exp. Med. 206, 2593–2601 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Moyron-Quiroz, J. E. et al. Nat. Med. 10, 927–934 (2004).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Hassan, A. O. et al. Cell 183, 169–184 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Zhoujie Ding & David Tarlinton

Authors
  1. Zhoujie Ding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Tarlinton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Tarlinton.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ding, Z., Tarlinton, D. The case for BALT in human respiratory immunity. Nat Immunol 24, 1220–1221 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01566-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01566-2

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing