A 19-year-old female patient

suffers from a variety of non-specific problems such as fatigue, weakness,

malaise, abdominal pain, occasional diarrhoea and vomiting. In addition, she is

very pale and has lost weight since her last check-up with the doctor. A bland

non-specific rash is present on her skin. In the blood count that is done, only

mild anemia is present. As these symptoms have been present in the patient for

a longer period of time, further investigations are made to find possible

causes. One possibility that is eventually confirmed both laboratory and

histologically is celiac disease. The disease is a genetic disorder of mucosal

immunity. It reacts abnormally to gluten and prolamins found in wheat and other

cereals. The damage of the intestinal mucosa that occurs in patients when

gluten is present in the intestine is caused by T-lymphocytes. The result is

mucosal atrophy with impaired absorption of nutrients. Antigen presenting cells

play an important role in the activation of T-lymphocytes and transmit these

antigens to T-lymphocytes. These cells receive the antigen (here gluten) from the

lumen of the intestine by transcytosis via a special type of intestinal

epithelial cells located above the lymphoid tissue clusters in the intestinal

mucosa (typically Peyer's patches). How do we call these cells?