title: Critical role of fatty acid metabolism in ILC2-mediated barrier protection during malnutrition and helminth infection.
abstract: Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) play an important role in many immune processes, including control of infections, inflammation, and tissue repair. To date, little is known about the metabolism of ILC and whether these cells can metabolically adapt in response to environmental signals. Here we show that type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), important mediators of barrier immunity, predominantly depend on fatty acid (FA) metabolism during helminth infection. Further, in situations where an essential nutrient, such as vitamin A, is limited, ILC2 sustain their function and selectively maintain interleukin 13 (IL-13) production via increased acquisition and utilization of FA. Together, these results reveal that ILC2 preferentially use FAs to maintain their function in the context of helminth infection or malnutrition and propose that enhanced FA usage and FA-dependent IL-13 production by ILC2 could represent a host adaptation to maintain barrier immunity under dietary restriction.
authors.affiliation: Mucosal Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany ybelkaid@niaid.nih.gov christoph.wilhelm@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9839-0291
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.affiliation: Mucosal Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Oliver J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3203-4777
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.affiliation: Immunoregulation Section, Autoimmunity Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5033-4947
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Mucosal Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7328-5399
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705.
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Urban
authors.affiliation: Immunoregulation Section, Autoimmunity Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2565-1750
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ploch
authors.affiliation: Immunopathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Thirumalai R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
authors.affiliation: Immunoregulation Section, Autoimmunity Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.affiliation: Mucosal Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 ybelkaid@niaid.nih.gov christoph.wilhelm@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Yasmine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Belkaid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000276:immunology*; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D018793:Interleukin-13