Herbert, D. R. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Trained ILC2 prevent IL-17-associated lung injury during helminth infection through a serotonin-dependent mechanism

Type 2 cytokine release promotes wound healing and helminth clearance, but it remains unclear whether group 2 innate lymphocytes (ILC2s) and T-helper 2 cells (TH2) cells have functionally distinct roles during anamnestic immunity. This study demonstrates that ILC2 can block re-infection and limit tissue injury caused by the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb). TH2 cells were necessary during initial antigen encounter but dispensable for pathogen clearance and lung repair after ILC2 priming. Upon re-infection, trained ILC2 selectively blocked interleukin (IL)-17+ {gamma}{delta}T cell expansion and infection-induced lung injury through an Amphiregulin (Areg)-independent mechanism. Trained ILC2s had a distinct metabolic gene expression profile marked by elevated tryptophan hydroxylase 1(Tph1) and pulmonary serotonin levels were largely ILC2-dependent. Surprisingly, serotonin prevented IL-17-associated lung hemorrhage irrespective of parasite load. We propose that TH2-ILC2 interactions drive pathogen control, but ILC2 distinctly control lung tissue repair through serotonin.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Perforin-2 is dispensable for host defense against Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans

Myeloid phagocytes are essential for antifungal immunity against pulmonary Aspergillus fumigatus and systemic Candida albicans infections. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fungal clearance by phagocytes remain incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the role of perforin-2 (Mpeg1) in antifungal immunity. We found that Mpeg1-/- mice generated on a mixed C57BL/6J-DBA/2 background exhibited enhanced survival, reduced lung fungal burden, and greater neutrophil fungal killing activity compared to wild-type C57BL/6J (B6) mice, suggesting that perforin-2 may impair antifungal immune responses. However, when we compared Mpeg1-/- mice with co-housed Mpeg+/+ littermate controls, these differences were no longer observed, indicating that initial findings were likely influenced by differences in the murine genetic background or the microbiota composition. Furthermore, perforin-2 was dispensable for antifungal immunity during C. albicans bloodstream infection. These results suggest that perforin-2 is not essential for host defense against fungal infections in otherwise immune competent mice and highlight the importance of generating co-housed littermate controls to minimize murine genetic and microbiota-related factors in studies of host defense mechanisms. IMPORTANCEAspergillus fumigatus is the leading cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA), which is associated with significant mortality, particularly in immunocompromised patients such as those with acute leukemia or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants, where death rates reach 40-50% despite standard care. Treatments for IA remain limited and resistance to antifungals is emerging, leading the World Health Organization to recently classify A. fumigatus as a critical priority fungal pathogen. A greater understanding of how the immune system clears A. fumigatus could lead to host-directed therapies that could complement our current armamentarium of antifungal drugs and improve patient outcomes. Our findings reveal that perforin-2 is not essential for antifungal immunity against A. fumigatus in otherwise immune-competent mice and underscore the necessity of using co-housed littermate controls to avoid confounding factors in immunological studies.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Neuron-dependent tuft cell expansion initiates sinonasal allergic Type 2 inflammation

Withdrawal StatementThe authors have withdrawn this manuscript owing to inaccuracies in the calculation of tuft cell numbers and errors in the selection of immunofluorescence images used to support our claims. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author.

immunology↗