Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of CAS, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Research Center of Basic Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Cell Mol Immunol. 2021 Jun;18(6):1412-1424. doi: 10.1038/s41423-021-00680-1. Epub 2021 Apr 28.
Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) play critical roles in innate immunity and gut homeostasis. However, how ILC3 homeostasis is regulated remains elusive. Here, we identified a novel circular RNA, circZbtb20, that is highly expressed in ILC3s and required for their maintenance and function. CircZbtb20 deletion causes reduced ILC3 numbers, increasing susceptibility to C. rodentium infection. Mechanistically, circZbtb20 enhances the interaction of Alkbh5 with Nr4a1 mRNA, leading to ablation of the mA modification of Nr4a1 mRNA to promote its stability. Nr4a1 initiates Notch2 signaling activation, which contributes to the maintenance of ILC3 homeostasis. Deletion of Alkbh5 or Nr4a1 also impairs ILC3 homeostasis and increases susceptibilities to bacterial infection. Thus, our findings reveal an important role of circular RNA in the regulation of innate lymphoid cell homeostasis.
第三组固有淋巴细胞(ILC3)在先天免疫和肠道稳态中发挥着关键作用。然而,ILC3 稳态如何调节仍然难以捉摸。在这里,我们鉴定了一种新型的环状 RNA,circZbtb20,它在 ILC3 中高度表达,是维持其功能所必需的。circZbtb20 的缺失导致 ILC3 数量减少,增加了对 C. rodentium 感染的易感性。在机制上,circZbtb20 增强了 Alkbh5 与 Nr4a1 mRNA 的相互作用,导致 Nr4a1 mRNA 的 mA 修饰被消除,从而促进其稳定性。Nr4a1 启动 Notch2 信号激活,有助于维持 ILC3 稳态。Alkbh5 或 Nr4a1 的缺失也会损害 ILC3 稳态并增加对细菌感染的易感性。因此,我们的研究结果揭示了环状 RNA 在调节固有淋巴细胞稳态中的重要作用。