Sun Im-Hong, Qualls Anita E, Yin Han S, Wang Jiaxi, Arvedson Matthew P, Germino Joe, Horner Nolan K, Zhong Sheng, Du Juan, Valdearcos Martin, Ntranos Vasilis, Locksley Richard M, Ricardo-Gonzalez Roberto R, Gardner James M
Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, CA, USA.
J Exp Med. 2025 Aug 4;222(8). doi: 10.1084/jem.20250573. Epub 2025 Apr 29.
The immune system must distinguish pathogens from innocuous dietary antigens, but the precise mechanisms and cellular actors remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that RORγt-lineage APCs are required for oral tolerance. Using lineage tracing and single-cell sequencing, we show these APCs consist of three principal populations: type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s), RORγt-lineage dendritic cells, and cells expressing Aire called RORγt eTACs (R-eTACs)-also known as Janus or Thetis cells. We show that R-eTACs, but not ILC3s, are required for oral tolerance induction. We find R-eTACs are of probable myeloid origin and uniquely express integrin β8 (Itgb8). Both MHCII and Itgb8 expression in RORγt-lineage cells are necessary to induce food-specific regulatory T cells. Mice lacking R-eTACs or with deletion of MHCII or Itgb8 in the RORγt lineage fail to generate Tregs and instead develop a T-follicular helper response with elevated antigen-specific antibodies. These findings establish R-eTACs as critical mediators of oral tolerance and suggest novel cellular targets to modulate immune tolerance.
免疫系统必须区分病原体与无害的饮食抗原,但其确切机制和细胞作用因子仍不清楚。在此,我们证明RORγt谱系的抗原呈递细胞(APC)是口服耐受所必需的。通过谱系追踪和单细胞测序,我们发现这些APC由三个主要群体组成:3型天然淋巴细胞(ILC3)、RORγt谱系树突状细胞以及表达Aire的细胞,称为RORγt eTAC(R-eTAC),也称为Janus细胞或Thetis细胞。我们表明,口服耐受诱导需要R-eTAC,而不是ILC3。我们发现R-eTAC可能起源于髓系,且独特地表达整合素β8(Itgb8)。RORγt谱系细胞中MHCII和Itgb8的表达对于诱导食物特异性调节性T细胞都是必需的。缺乏R-eTAC或RORγt谱系中MHCII或Itgb8缺失的小鼠无法产生调节性T细胞,反而会产生抗原特异性抗体水平升高的T滤泡辅助细胞反应。这些发现确立了R-eTAC作为口服耐受的关键介质,并提示了调节免疫耐受的新细胞靶点。
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