Link to Pubmed [PMID] – 34274597
Link to DOI – S1369-5274(21)00080-110.1016/j.mib.2021.06.005
Curr Opin Microbiol 2021 Jul; 63(): 83-91
Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) are innate effector cells that have essential roles in lymphoid organogenesis and maintenance of tissue homeostasis under steady-state and pathogenic conditions. ILC3 also promote immune defense, notably during bacterial breach of epithelial barriers, including those caused by attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens for which Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice is a relevant pre-clinical model. Through their ability to sustain interactions with tissue-resident immune cells, epithelial cells, neurons or stromal cells, ILC3 constitute a key orchestrator that maintains the intestinal barrier. In this review, we will examine the function of murine ILC3 in host defense against C. rodentium infection and provide a discussion of recent advances that help elucidate the specific roles of these novel innate immune effector cells at mucosal surfaces.