Abstract
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a recently described population of innate immune cells that integrate into a complex matrix of cellular pathways that regulate mucosal immunity. Although they are less well represented in circulating blood, ILCs are abundant in intestinal, pulmonary, and oropharyngeal mucosal tissues. The development and organization of the mucosal immune system depend on ILCs as both inducers and regulators of lymphoid tissue. At these barrier sites, ILCs are well positioned to serve as the first responders in orchestrating mucosal immunity at steady state and in response to barrier disruption. In lieu of the rearranged receptors of conventional adaptive lymphocytes, mucosal ILCs utilize tissue-specific spatial organization and local cytokine cues to regulate barrier immunity and tissue repair. This chapter will review the development and heterogeneity of ILCs in the mucosal tissue and their contribution to barrier protection and tissue repair. In particular, we will focus on the organizational structure and environmental regulators that afford tight control of ILC-dependent mucosal immunity. This chapter will also review the role for mucosal ILCs in cross-regulation of adaptive and innate mucosal immune cells, which highlight a central role for ILCs in mucosal tissue homeostasis.
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