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Group 2 innate lymphoid cells can engulf and destroy bacteria

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 18, pages 2569–2571 (2021)Cite this article

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Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are now known to play prominent roles in many inflammatory responses involving the production of Th2-type cytokines, which contribute to parasitic infections, tissue repair, and metabolic homeostasis [1]. More recently, it has emerged that ILC2s may act as antigen-presenting cells, although corresponding evidence of phagocytic activity of these cells is currently scarce [2, 3]. Herein, we investigated whether ILC2s can phagocytose bacteria, through in vitro experiments.

To trace the migration of foreign particles within ILC2s, immunofluorescence technology was employed to label the lysosomes. The results showed that fluorescent microspheres engulfed by ILC2s were colocalized with lysosomes (Fig. 1d). To verify that this phenomenon is not restricted to artificial particles, ILC2s were then incubated with viable Enterococcus faecalis for various periods (0, 2, and 4 h) and observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (Fig. 1e). Following 2 h of incubation, we observed engulfment and internalization of E. faecalis bacteria by both RAW264.7 macrophages and ILC2s, which then formed phagosomes (Fig. 1e). Within 4 h of incubation, the phagosomes had disappeared and were replaced by a structure of higher electron density, suggesting fusion of the phagosomes with lysosomes to form phagolysosomes (Fig. 1e). To confirm whether ILC2s possess the propensity to kill phagocytosed bacteria, they were pulsed with live E. faecalis for 30 min and then further incubated for different periods (1, 3, 6, and 16 h) after washing to remove free bacteria. The numbers of viable intracellular bacteria were then determined at each time point, expressed as percentages of bacterial viability at 3, 6, and 16 h after culturing. The data show that the majority of the bacteria phagocytosed by both cell types were killed within 6 h of ingestion, with a significant delay in the ILC2 cells compared with the RAW264.7 cells at the earlier 3 h time point (Figs. 1f and S3). However, Jurkat cells, as a negative control, could not phagocytose/kill bacteria (Fig. S3). These results suggest that ILC2s, similar to RAW264.7 professional phagocytes, are equipped to kill bacteria.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81471594, 81700026, 81971510, and 82071805).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Yiran Yang, Yan Li, Yingjie Xu, Hanxiao Zhang, Yuhan Diao, Shihao Chen, Ye Cui, Wei Wang & Sun Ying

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Nasal Diseases, Beijing, 100730, China

    Yan Li

  3. School of Rehabilitation, Capital Medical University, Beijing Bo’ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China

    Shihao Chen

  4. Division of Asthma, Allergy & Lung Biology, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, King’s College London, London, UK

    Chris J. Corrigan

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  1. Yiran Yang
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  2. Yan Li
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  3. Yingjie Xu
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  7. Ye Cui
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  9. Wei Wang
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  10. Sun Ying
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Contributions

YY, SY, and WW designed the studies. YY, YL, YX, HZ, YD, YC, and SC participated in data generation and analysis. SY and WW supervised the project. YY wrote the manuscript. SY and CJC performed the final manuscript preparation.

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Correspondence to Wei Wang or Sun Ying.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Yang, Y., Li, Y., Xu, Y. et al. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells can engulf and destroy bacteria. Cell Mol Immunol 18, 2569–2571 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-021-00765-x

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