Project description:Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) reside in multiple tissues including lymphoid organs and barrier surfaces, and secrete type 2 cytokines including interleukin (IL)-5, IL-9 and IL-13. These cells participate in multiple physiological processes including allergic inflammation, tissue repair, metabolic homeostasis and host defense against helminth infections. Recent studies indicate that neuropeptides can play an important role in regulating ILC2 responses, however, the mechanisms that underlie these processes in vivo remain incompletely defined. Here, we identify that activated ILC2s upregulate choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)—the enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of acetylcholine (ACh)—following infection with the helminth parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis or treatment with alarmins or cytokines including IL-25, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). ILC2s also express acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), and ACh administration promotes ILC2 cytokine production and elicits expulsion of helminth infection. In accordance with this, ChAT deficiency in ILC2s leads to defective ILC2 responses and impaired immunity against helminth infection. Together, these results reveal a previously unrecognized role of the ChAT-ACh pathway in promoting type 2 innate immunity to helminth infection.
Project description:This experiment sought to determine whether estrogen could directly activate changes in gene transcription in lung and uterine ILC2s, whether such changes differed between lung and uterine ILC2s, and compared baseline gene expression between ILC2s from those organs. ILC2s, defined as lineage (CD3e, CD14, CD16/32 and B220) negative, CD25 positive and CD44 high lymphocytes, were sorted by flow cytometry from 8-12 week old BALB/c mice and cultured overnight in RPMI 1640 with 10% charcoal/dextran treated calf serum in the absence or presence of 100 ng/ml estrogen. RNA was extracted from the cells after culture.
Project description:More insights into the character differences between ChAT+ and ChAT- NK cells were obtained based on the gene-expression patterns. A clear delineation between ChAT+ NK cells and ChAT- NK cells was observed, with a total of 300 genes over-expressed and 941 genes under-expressed significantly in the ChAT+ subset. It will provide evidences for further investigation into their functional characters
Project description:Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC2s) are key players in type 2 immunity and contribute to maintaining homeostasis and responding to inflammation. ILC2s are implicated in the development of type 2 inflammation-mediated chronic disorders like asthma. While memory ILC2s have been identified in mouse, it is unknown whether human ILC2s can acquire immunological memory. Here, we demonstrate the persistence of CD45RO, a marker previously linked to inflammatory ILC2s, in resting ILC2s that have undergone prior activation. A high proportion of these cells concurrently reduce the expression of the canonical ILC marker CD127 in a tissue specific manner. Through isolation and in vitro stimulation of CD127- CD45RO+ ILC2s, we observed an augmented ability to proliferate and produce cytokines. CD127- CD45RO+ ILC2s are found in both healthy and inflamed tissues and display a gene signature of cell activation. Our findings suggest that human ILC2s can acquire innate immune memory and warrants a revision of the current strategies to identify human ILC2s.
Project description:ILC2s regulate type2 immune responses and protect against helminth infection. We found that ILC2s can be expanded in the presence of a combination of cytokines IL-2 and IL-1b. To better understand the functional and phenotypic consequence of IL-1β activation of ILC2s, we utilized whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of freshly isolated ILC2s and IL-1β-primed ILC2s. Differential expression analysis revealed a substantial number of genes underwent significant change between the two conditions (total 4,744 gene, FDR<0.01, Fold change >2), among which 3,871 genes were upregulated in IL-1β –primed ILC2s.
Project description:Purpose: Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-expressing epithelial cells are found in the upper and lower airways. In the trachea, they are referred to as brush cells. In the mouse nose two distinct populations of ChAT-eGFP+ cells had been previously described: a population of rare solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) in the respiratory mucosa and a more abundant population of microvillous cells (MVCs) in the olfactory epithelium. Besides ChAT expression, SCCs share the expression of bitter taste receptors and signaling machinery with tracheal brush cells as well as close association with CGPR+ nerve fibers and an elongated shape. MVCs do not express bitter taste receptors, are not clearly associated with nerves and are smaller in size than SCCs. We have previously reported the transcriptional profile of tracheal ChAT-expressing brush cells but the transcriptional profile of nasal chemosensory ChAT+ epithelial cells has not been reported. Methods: In this study, we isolated nasal ChAT-eGFP+ cells by FACS from naïve ChAT(BAC)-eGFP mice with knockin of eGFP within a BAC spanning the ChAT locus, marking brush cells in the epithelium and performed transcriptome profiling using low input RNA sequencing. We sorted two distinct subsets of ChAT-eGFP+ epithelial cells from the nasal mucosa based on FACS ice and granularity characteristic: ChAT-eGFP+ EpCAM+ FSC/SSChigh (representing 5% of all ChAT-eGFP+ cells) and FSC/SSClow (representing 95% of all ChAT-eGFP+ cells), respectively. We compared them to unfractionated ChAT-eGFP- EpCAM+ epithelial cells. Results: Both nasal ChAT-eGFP subsets shared the core transcriptional profile of chemosensory cells from the intestine, trachea, gallbladder and thymus including the expression of Il25, Pou2f3, Trpm5, Avil, Plcb2 and transcripts of eicosanoid biosynthetic enzymes suggesting that most ChAT-eGFP+ cells in the nose belong to the chemosensory/tuft/brush cel family. The two subsets of nasal ChAT-eGFP+ cells differed in expression of taste receptors and taste receptor signaling machinery. Conclusions: Our study represents the first detailed analysis of the transcriptome of nasal ChAT-eGFP+ cells (brush cells) and identifies two subsets of nasal brush cells that share a core transcriptional signature but differ in expression of bitter taste receptors.
Project description:Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) in the lung are stimulated by inhaled allergens. ILC2s do not directly recognize allergens but they are stimulated by cytokines including interleukin (IL)-33 released by damaged epithelium.Lung ILC2s, upon stimulation, produce T helper 2 cell-type cytokines inducing T cell independent allergic lung inflammation. We now report that lung ILC2s, upon activation by an allergen or IL-33, acquire the properties of memory cells. The activated ILC2s initially proliferate and secrete cytokines, followed by a contraction phase as they stop producing cytokines. Nevertheless, some persist long after the resolution of the inflammation and acquire intrinsic capacities to react to unrelated allergens more vigorously than naïve ILC2s, thus mediating a severe allergic lung inflammation. Gene expression profiles of the previously activated ILC2s show a gene signature of memory T cells. These antigen non-specific memory ILC2s may explain why asthma patients are often sensitized to multiple allergens. ILC2s were isolated from mouse lungs from naive and IL-33 injected mice 4 days, 14 days and 4 months after the initial treatment. RNA was extracted from those ILC2 populations and analyzed for gene expression profiles. RNA was also extracted from ILC2s isolated from lung draining mediastinal lymph node (mLN) 4 days and 14 days after IL-33 treatment.
Project description:Translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) was performed on spinal cord dissections pooled from 3-4 mice 21 days post birth that were positive for the eGFP-L10A fusion ribosomal marker protein under the expression of either the Chat promoter (Tg(Chat-EGFP/Rpl10a)DW167Htz) or the Snap25 promoter (Tg(Snap25-EGFP/Rpl10a)JD362Jdd). RNA-sequencing was performed on both TRAP and pre-immunoprecipitation (PreIP) control RNA samples.
Project description:The goal of this study was to look at genes that were affected by 69-kDa and/or 82-kDa ChAT proteins in IMR32 cells Experiment Overall Design: The gene expression changes of IMR32 cells stably expressing either 69-kDa or 82-kDa ChAT proteins were anaylzed and compared to control IMR32 wild type cells. 3 biological replicates were anaylzed per condition (69-kDa ChAT expressing cells, 82-kDa ChAT expressing cells, or wild type IMR32 cells) for a total of 9 samples altogether.