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The expanding family of innate lymphoid cells: regulators and effectors of immunity and tissue remodeling

Nature Immunology volume 12, pages 21–27 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Research has identified what can be considered a family of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) that includes not only natural killer (NK) cells and lymphoid tissue–inducer (LTi) cells but also cells that produce interleukin 5 (IL-5), IL-13, IL-17 and/or IL-22. These ILC subsets are developmentally related, requiring expression of the transcriptional repressor Id2 and cytokine signals through the common γ-chain of the IL-2 receptor. The functional differentiation of ILC subsets is orchestrated by distinct transcription factors. Analogous to helper T cell subsets, these evolutionarily conserved yet distinct ILCs seem to have important roles in protective immunity, and their dysregulation can promote immune pathology.

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Figure 1: The expanding family of ILCs.
Figure 2: Transcription factors regulate the differentiation of distinct ILC subsets.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Cupedo, N. Crellin, S. Trifari and C. Kaplan for contributions and collaborations; and G. Eberl, N. Satoh-Takayama and C. Vosshenrich for collaborations. Supported by the Institut Pasteur (J.P.D.), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (J.P.D.) and the Agence National de Recherches (J.P.D.).

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  1. Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Hergen Spits

  2. Innate Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France

    James P Di Santo

  3. Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U668, Paris, France

    James P Di Santo

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Correspondence to Hergen Spits.

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Spits, H., Di Santo, J. The expanding family of innate lymphoid cells: regulators and effectors of immunity and tissue remodeling. Nat Immunol 12, 21–27 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.1962

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