Group 3 ILCs: peacekeepers or troublemakers? What's your gut telling you?!
File(s)
Author(s)
Pantazi, Eirini
Powell, Nick
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A complex network of interactions exists between the microbiome, the epithelium, and immune cells that reside along the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. The intestinal immune system has been assigned with the difficult task of discriminating between commensal, harmless bacteria, and invading pathogens that translocate across the epithelial monolayer. Importantly, it is trained to maintain tolerance against commensals, and initiate protective immune responses against pathogens to secure intestinal homeostasis. Breakdown of this fine balance between the host and its intestinal microbiota can lead to intestinal inflammation and subsequently to development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A decade since their discovery, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are now recognized as important regulators of intestinal homeostasis. ILC3s have emerged as a critical subset in the gut. They are the most phenotypically diverse ILC population and interact directly with numerous different cell types (haematopoietic and non-haematopoeitic), as well as interface with the bacterial flora. In addition to their contribution to intestinal pathogen immunity, they also mitigate against tissue damage occurring following acute injury, by facilitating tissue repair and regeneration, a key function in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. However, in chronic inflammation the tables are turned and ILC3s may acquire a pro-inflammatory phenotype in the gut. Chronic ILC activation can lead to persistent inflammation contributing to IBD and/or colorectal cancer. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of group 3 ILCs and their contributions to intestinal homeostasis and disease leading to novel therapeutic targets and clinical approaches that may inform novel treatment strategies for immune-mediated disorders, including IBD.
Date Issued
2019-04-05
Date Acceptance
2019-03-12
Citation
Frontiers in Immunology, 2019, 10
ISSN
1664-3224
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Immunology
Volume
10
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Pantazi and Powell. This is an open-access article distributedunder the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC BY). The use,distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the originalauthor(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publicationin this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use,distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31024537
Subjects
Crohn's disease
IBD
group 3 innate lymphoid cells
intestinal inflammation
symbiosis
ulcerative colitis
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Switzerland
Article Number
ARTN 676