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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015 Mar;60(3):294–307. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000000597

Figure 2. Early Colonization, Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) Cells in the Colon and Disease.

Figure 2

(Left) Colonization of germ free (GF) mice during the newborn period (GF/n) is sufficient to program the immune system to prevent iNKT cell accumulation in the colon. When GF mice are colonized as adults (GF/a), their immune system persists with the same phenotype as a GF mouse.

(Right) GF mice and GF/a mice are susceptible to ulcerative colitis. GF/n mice are protected from colitis by colonization in infancy.

Reproduced with permission from Olszak et al. Science 2012;336:489–493.