Abstract
The human host has coevolved with the collective of bacteria species, termed microbiota, in a complex fashion that affects both innate and adaptive immunity. Differential regulation of regulatory T-cell and effector T-cell responses are a direct result of specific microbial species present within the gut, and this relationship is subject to dysregulation during inflammation and disease. The microbiota varies widely between individuals and has a profound effect on how one reacts to various environmental stimuli, particularly if a person is genetically predisposed to an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Approximately, half of all CD patients have elevated antibodies to CBir1, a microbiota flagellin common to mice and humans, demonstrating flagellins as immunodominant antigens in the intestines. This review focuses on the use of flagellins as probes to study microbiota-specific responses in the context of health and disease as well as probes of innate and adaptive responses employed by the host to deal with the overwhelming bacterial presence of the microbiota.