title: Type 2 innate lymphoid cells-new members of the "type 2 franchise" that mediate allergic airway inflammation.
abstract: Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are members of an ILC family, which contains NK cells and Rorγt(+) ILCs, the latter including lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells and ILCs producing IL-17 and IL-22. ILC2s are dedicated to the production of IL-5 and IL-13 and, as such, ILC2s provide an early and important source of type 2 cytokines critical for helminth expulsion in the gut. Several studies have also demonstrated a role for ILC2s in airway inflammation. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Klein Wolterink et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2012. 42: 1106-1116] show that ILC2s are instrumental in several models of experimental asthma where they significantly contribute to production of IL-5 and IL-13, key cytokines in airway inflammation. This study sheds light over the relative contribution of ILC2s versus T helper type 2 cells (Th2) in type 2 mediated allergen-specific inflammation in the airways as discussed in this commentary.
authors.affiliation: Tytgat Institute of Intestinal and Liver Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mjösberg
authors.forename: Hergen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Spits
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018793:Interleukin-13; D015848:Interleukin-5