Multiplexed histology analyses for the phenotypic and spatial characterization of human innate lymphoid cells.

ABSTRACT: Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) emerge in the last few years as important regulators of immune responses and biological processes. Although ILCs are mainly known as tissue-resident cells, their precise localization and interactions with the microenvironment are still unclear. Here we combine a multiplexed immunofluorescence technique and a customized computational, open-source analysis pipeline to unambiguously identify CD127⁺ ILCs in situ and characterize these cells and their microenvironments. Moreover, we reveal the transcription factor IRF4 as a marker for tonsillar ILC3, and identify conserved stromal landmarks characteristic for ILC localization. We also show that CD127⁺ ILCs share tissue niches with plasma cells in the tonsil. Our works thus provide a platform for multiparametric histological analysis of ILCs to improve our understanding of ILC biology.

SUBMITTER: Pascual-Reguant A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7979823 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature