IL-33 → MyD88 pathway drives type II immunity in female genital mucosa

Type II immunity underlies several types of immune conditions such as asthma, allergy or response to parasitic helminths. It is not yet fully clear how type II immunity contributes to host's defenses. At this stage scientific inquiry is mostly focused on uncovering cellular and molecular mechanism behind type II immunity.

For example, PNAS has published new paper supporting role of locally produced IL-33 in promoting type II immunity.

For these experiments the authors have used papain, a well established experimental type II inducer protease. As reported before, papain required enzymatic activity for its type II response.

Papain application to female vaginal mucosa induced IL-33, a member of IL-1 family implicated in type II immunity.

Indeed, IL-33 deficient mice showed reduced secretion of components of type II immunity (IL-4, IgE).

Interestingly, type II immunity in response to papain in female genital tract depended on IRF4⁺ CD11c⁺ dendritic cells but it was independent of basophils and eosinophils.

Furthermore, type II immunity in response to papain application to female vaginal tissue depended on MyD88 signaling.  

In summary, this study confirms the role of IL-33 in type II immunity.

David Usharauli

Bifurcation of type 2 immunity

Type II immunity is referred to a Th2 dominant immune response to a wide array of proteases, venoms and mechanical irritants. Both innate ILC2 cells as well as adaptive Th2 cells are involved in this process. The relationship between innate and adaptive components of type II immunity is still being defined.

A new study from Richard Locksley's lab published in Nature Immunology showed that priming of Th2 cells in the lymph nodes and their subsequent type II effector functions in the peripheral tissues could be bifurcated.

For example, the authors showed that parasitic nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb)-infected mice triple deficient in sensing of TSLP, IL-25 and IL-33, the epithelial cytokines which have been linked to Th2 cell function, have normal lymph node IL-4+ Th2 differentiation and IgE production, but significantly diminished potential to secrete IL-13 and IL-5, effector Th2 cytokines, in the periphery. 

Importantly, such bifurcation of Th2 effector functionality was T cell intrinsic by sensing locally produced "release" cytokines, TSLP, IL-25 and IL-33.

In summary, this study indicate that even at the level of Th2 cells their effector functionality could be bifurcated depending on the local tissue micro-environment. This concept is important to better understand how to treat different types of allergies, for example, IL-4/IgE dominant systemic allergies versus IL-5/IL-13 dominant local tissue chronic allergies.     

David Usharauli

Steady-state IL-12p70-producing CD103+ DCs control magnitude of type II immunity

In my previous post I reviewed the role of microbiota and MyD88/TRIF pathway in CD103⁺ DC-derived TGF-β dependent IgA production. In the following review I will continue analyzing immunobiology of CD103⁺ DCs. Surprisingly, new paper published in JEM claims that CD103+ DCs naturally producing biologically active IL-12p70 restrain type II immunity during worm infection.

I have done some work on IL-12, so I was curious to review this paper. So lets begin. I will only show the data that I believe are relevant for the story. In first set of experiments, the authors showed that Batf3 ^-/- mice that lack CD103⁺ DCs have exaggerated type II response to S. mansoni eggs and worm infection itself (a typical Th2 trigger).

Similar exaggerated Th2 response were observed in Batf3 ^-/- mice infected with another Th2 trigger H. polygyrus. 

More importantly, Batf3 ^-/- mice showed increased resistance to H. polygyrus infection. 

To understand how Batf3-dependent CD103⁺ DCs influenced Th2 response, the authors analysed expression of IL-12, a cytokine known for its role in inhibiting Th2 response. Indeed, Batf3-dependent CD103⁺ DCs were main producers of steady-state IL-12 as measured by YFP expression under p40 promoter (p40 is a β chain of heterodimeric IL-12p70).

Finally, using bone marrow chimera, the authors showed that lack of biologically active IL-12 (IL-12p70) derived from Batf3-dependent CD103⁺ DCs was indeed responsible for exaggerated [and protective] Th2 response of Batf3^-/- mice to H. polygyrus.

Of note, in separate set of experiments with germ-free and MyD88/TRIF DKO mice, the authors claim that Batf3-dependent CD103⁺ DCs were producing biologically active IL-12p70 independently of microbiota or TLR signaling. However, in contrast to YFP expression, flow staining pattern with antibody against p40 revealed little staining of IL-12p40 in CD103⁺ DCs from any of the mice analyzed. So, if not the data with IL-12p35^-/-/Batf3^-/- BM chimera, I would have dismissed this whole study as an artifact (to be convincing the authors need to show these results with p40-YFP mice on GF and MyD88/TRIF background).

In summary, this study suggests that Batf3-dependent CD103⁺ DC-derived IL-12p70 influences magnitude of type II immunity.

David Usharauli