[HTML][HTML] The spectrum and regulatory landscape of intestinal innate lymphoid cells are shaped by the microbiome

M Gury-BenAri, CA Thaiss, N Serafini, DR Winter… - Cell, 2016 - cell.com
M Gury-BenAri, CA Thaiss, N Serafini, DR Winter, A Giladi, D Lara-Astiaso, M Levy
Cell, 2016cell.com
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are critical modulators of mucosal immunity, inflammation, and
tissue homeostasis, but their full spectrum of cellular states and regulatory landscapes
remains elusive. Here, we combine genome-wide RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq to
compare the transcriptional and epigenetic identity of small intestinal ILCs, identifying
thousands of distinct gene profiles and regulatory elements. Single-cell RNA-seq and flow
and mass cytometry analyses reveal compartmentalization of cytokine expression and …
Summary
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are critical modulators of mucosal immunity, inflammation, and tissue homeostasis, but their full spectrum of cellular states and regulatory landscapes remains elusive. Here, we combine genome-wide RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq to compare the transcriptional and epigenetic identity of small intestinal ILCs, identifying thousands of distinct gene profiles and regulatory elements. Single-cell RNA-seq and flow and mass cytometry analyses reveal compartmentalization of cytokine expression and metabolic activity within the three classical ILC subtypes and highlight transcriptional states beyond the current canonical classification. In addition, using antibiotic intervention and germ-free mice, we characterize the effect of the microbiome on the ILC regulatory landscape and determine the response of ILCs to microbial colonization at the single-cell level. Together, our work characterizes the spectrum of transcriptional identities of small intestinal ILCs and describes how ILCs differentially integrate signals from the microbial microenvironment to generate phenotypic and functional plasticity.
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