Back to the drawing board: Understanding the complexity of hepatic innate lymphoid cells. Issue 9 (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Marotel, Marie; Hasan, Uzma; Viel, Sébastien; Marçais, Antoine; Walzer, Thierry
• Is Part Of: European journal of immunology. Volume 46:Issue 9(2016)
• Page Start: 2095
• Page End: 2098
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: CXCR6 -- Innate immunity -- Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) -- Liver -- NK cells; Immunology -- Periodicals; 616.079
• DOI: 10.1002/eji.201646584
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0014-2980

Abstract

Abstract : A large fraction of human liver NK cells have a CD56 bright CXCR6 + phenotype. Hepatic CD56 bright NK cells are different from blood CD56 bright NK cells and resemble mouse ILC1s. Human hepatic CD56 bright NK cells express high levels of Eomes and low levels of T‐bet, unlike mouse ILC1s. Abstract : Recent studies of immune populations in nonlymphoid organs have highlighted the great diversity of the innate lymphoid system. It has also become apparent that mouse and human innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have distinct phenotypes and properties. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Harmon et al. [ Eur. J. Immunol . 2016. 46: 2111–2120] characterized human hepatic NK‐cell subsets. The authors report that hepatic CD56 bright NK cells resemble mouse liver ILC1s in that they express CXCR6 and have an immature phenotype. However, unlike mouse ILC1s, they express high levels of Eomes and low levels of T‐bet, and upon stimulation with tumor cells, secrete low amounts of cytokines. These unexpected findings further support the differences between human and mouse immune populations and prompt the study of the role of hepatic ILC subsets in immune responses.