MEC and CCR10 unify the epithelial IgA immune system. After development in secondary lymphoid tissues (i.e., the tonsil or appendix), IgA plasma cells (PCs) expressing CCR10 or CCR9 enter the circulation. By virtue of the expression of both MEC and TECK in the small intestine, both CCR10+ and CCR9+ PCs can enter this tissue (although CCR10+ PCs predominate). In other tissues where MEC expression predominates (i.e., the colon and stomach), CCR10+ PCs predominate, and CCR9+ PCs are more rare. Other epithelial sites where MEC is expressed (i.e., the mammary gland and trachea/bronchioles) and IgA is secreted may also contain CCR10+ PCs. CCR9+ T cells (T) predominate in the small intestine where TECK is expressed and exist at lower levels in closely associated tissues such as the stomach and colon. This separate, previously described, T lymphocyte localization pathway for the small intestine (via CCR9/TECK) allows functional compartmentalization of this organ, while physically dispersed organs that all share the function of pathogen neutralization by IgA are unified by CCR10/MEC. Model includes data from refs.