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Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue
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Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, shortened to MALT, is defensive tissue placed exactly where the body meets the outside world. It is made up of lymphoid follicles, which are clusters of immune cells, associated directly with the mucosal epithelium, the layer of cells that lines the inside of the body's passages.
It is not found in just one place. It forms dome-shaped structures beneath the lining of the digestive tract, the breast, the lungs, and the eyes.
In the small intestine, this tissue is organized into Peyer's patches. There, special epithelial cells called M cells sample what passes through the intestinal lumen, the hollow center of the tube, and carry it to nearby follicles. A lookout post beneath the intestinal lining, with a window that passes samples inward.
In brief
Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, or MALT, is a collection of lymphoid follicles associated directly with the mucosal epithelium.
It forms dome-shaped structures beneath the lining of the digestive tract, breast, lungs, and eyes.
In Peyer's patches, a type of MALT in the small intestine, epithelial cells called M cells take up material from the intestinal lumen and deliver it to nearby follicles.
A lookout post beneath the intestinal lining, with a window that passes samples inward.
Sources (2)
- OpenStax, Rice UniversityAnatomy and Physiology 2e, 21.1 Anatomy of the Lymphatic and Immune SystemsPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHistology, M Cell, StatPearlsPublished
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