Gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) are the key antigen sampling and adaptive immune inductive sites within the intestinal wall. Human GALT includes the multi-follicular Peyer’s patches of the ileum, the vermiform appendix, and the numerous isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) which are distributed along the length of the intestine. Our current understanding of GALT diversity and function derives primarily from studies in mice, and the relevance of many of these findings to human GALT remains unclear. Here we review our current understanding of human GALT diversity, structure, and composition as well as their potential for regulating intestinal immune responses during homeostasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Finally, we outline some key remaining questions regarding human GALT, the answers to which will advance our understanding of intestinal immune responses and provide potential opportunities to improve the treatment of intestinal diseases.

肠道相关淋巴组织 (GALT) 是肠壁内的关键抗原取样和适应性免疫诱导位点。人类 GALT 包括回肠的多滤泡 Peyer 斑、蠕形阑尾和沿肠道长度分布的许多孤立的淋巴滤泡 (ILF)。我们目前对 GALT 多样性和功能的理解主要来自小鼠研究，而这些发现中的许多与人类 GALT 的相关性仍不清楚。在这里，我们回顾了我们目前对人类 GALT 多样性、结构和组成的理解，以及它们在稳态和炎症性肠病 (IBD) 期间调节肠道免疫反应的潜力。最后，我们概述了关于人类 GALT 的一些关键遗留问题，