Electron-microscope observations on the tonsillar epithelium in children with recurrent tonsillitis

Palatine tonsils in smoker and non‐smoker patients: a pilot clinicopathological and ultrastructural study

“…Numerous studies demonstrated the ability of specialized epithelial cells (M cells) as well as of subsets of dendritic cells to regulate the initiation, immunogenic direction and tolerogenic responses to different antigens (1, 2, 10). Moreover, palatine tonsil epithelium and cryptic reticular epithelium are closely associated in order to provide a favourable environment for the effector cells of the immune response (15–19). On the contrary, the lymphoid compartment along with extracellular matrix glycoproteins, stromal and epithelial elements, mitogen‐ and antigen‐induced cytokine responses all create specialized microenvironments to support cell–matrix and cell–cell interactions in immune defence mechanisms (20, 21).…”

Morphology and immunology of the human palatine tonsil

“…1). The reticulated crypt epithelium, also called lymphoepithelium (Perry and Whyte 1998), plays a key role in the initiation of immune responses in the palatine tonsils (Karchev and Kabakchiev 1982;Belz and Heath 1995). In the crypts, luminal antigens are taken up by specialised cells of the reticulated squamous epithelium which resemble the intestinal membranous (M) cells characteristic of the domes of Peyer's patches (Gebert 1995;Gebert et al 1996).…”

Structural specializations for antigen uptake and processing in the digestive tract

“…In rabbits and cats a single crypt leads from the pharynx into each palatine tonsil. The midline pharyngeal tonsil has parallel surface furrows, passing from front to back, lined with ciliated cells in children and young animals, but is replaced by squamous epithelium with age and chronic infection [30].…”