intestines Archive — Page 2 of 2

Cropped person in a beige shirt and blue jeans clutching their abdomen with both hands against a white background.
October 9, 2014

Immune cells that guard against ingested pathogens discovered

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a new type of immune cell residing in the intestinal epithelium that may function as a first line of defense against ingested pathogens.

By Leigh MacMillan
Microscopic grayscale view of densely packed, finger-like projections forming a brush border across cultured epithelial cells.
April 17, 2014

Nutrient-absorbing surface’s assembly revealed: study

Vanderbilt University researchers have discovered how intestinal cells build the “brush border” — a specialized surface structure that is critical for absorbing nutrients and defending against pathogens.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 8, 2013

Defusing ‘C. diff’ infection

By Leigh MacMillan
November 19, 2012

Bird’s eye view of gut development

A new map of the developing gut of quail offers valuable tool for studying intestinal diseases.

By Jessica Mazerik
Fluorescence microscopy image showing blue circular structures and clustered green and red fluorescent signals against a dark background. Metadata text: “ImageJ=1.44e” and “unit=um.”
May 14, 2012

Intestinal artillery launches anti-bacterial attack

The epithelial cells that line the intestines have a newly discovered mechanism for protecting us against microbes: they fire anti-bacterial “bullets” into the gut.

By Leigh MacMillan