Early life group 2 innate lymphoid cells in health and disease

TL;DR

This paper explores the role of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) in early life and their impact on health and disease.

Contribution

The paper provides a novel overview of ILC2s in childhood and adolescence, focusing on their modulation and clinical implications.

Findings

ILC2s are present early in life and can influence immune responses.

ILC2s contribute to tissue immunity and can modulate immune and non-immune cells.

The clinical implications of modulating ILC2s in early life are discussed.

Abstract

ILC2s are innate lymphoid cells that become activated by alarmins and are major producers of type 2 signature cytokines. In mice and human, ILC2s have been identified and characterized in several pre-clinical disease models and patients with a spectrum of diseases. Interest in the regulation and function of ILC2s has grown substantially in recent years due to their capability to act as first responders to external and internal stimuli and their contribution to tissue immunity in health and disease. Importantly, ILC2s are present early on during ontogeny, long lived and can orchestrate immune and non-immune cell populations highlighting their potential impact early and late in life. However, the impact of ILC2s is only starting to be appreciated in early life immune responses. Here, we provide an overview of ILC2s in childhood and adolescence in health and disease. We further discuss the (potential) modulation of early life ILC2s and their clinical implications for therapeutic treatments.

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