Why Innate Lymphoid Cells?

Publication date: 19 June 2018
Source:Immunity, Volume 48, Issue 6
Author(s): Maya E. Kotas, Richard M. Locksley
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are positioned in tissues perinatally, constitutively express receptors responsive to their organ microenvironments, and perform an arsenal of effector functions that overlap those of adaptive CD4⁺ T cells. Based on knowledge regarding subsets of invariant-like lymphocytes (e.g., natural killer T [NKT] cells, γδ T cells, mucosal-associated invariant T [MAIT] cells, etc.) and fetally derived macrophages, we hypothesize that immune cells established during the perinatal period—including, but not limited to, ILCs—serve intimate roles in tissue that go beyond classical understanding of the immune system in microbial host defense. In this Perspective, we propose mechanisms by which the establishment of ILCs and the tissue lymphoid niche during early development may have consequences much later in life. Although definitive answers require better tools, efforts to achieve deeper understanding of ILC biology across the mammalian lifespan have the potential to lift the veil on the unknown breadth of immune cell functions.

Teaser

Innate lymphoid cells reside in peripheral tissues, are activated during various infections, reiterate the programs of adaptive lymphocytes, and yet are insufficient for microbial defense. This raises the question of why we have these cells. Kotas and Locksley provide a Perspective about the role of these cells in maintaining tissue homeostasis.


https://ift.tt/2tkgOXl