Characteristic of innate lymphoid cells (ILC)

Abstract

Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) is a newly described family of immune cells that are part of the natural immunity which is important not only during infections caused by microorganisms, but also in the formation of lymphoid tissue, tissue remodeling after damage due to injury and homeostasis tissue stromal cells. Family ILC cells form NK cells (natural killer) and lymphoid tissue inducer T cells (LTi), which, although they have different functions, are evolutionarily related. NK cells are producing mainly IFN-γ, whereas LTi cells as NKR+LTi like, IL-17 and/or IL-22, which suggests that the last two cells, can also represent the innate versions of helper T cell--TH17 and TH22. Third population of ILC is formed by cells with characteristics such as NK cells and LTi (ILC22)--which are named NK22 cells, natural cytotoxicity receptor 22 (NCR22) cells or NK receptor-positive (LTi NKR+) LTi cells. Fourth population of ILC cells are ILC17--producing IL-17, while the fifth is formed by natural helper type 2 T cells (nTH2), nuocyte, innate type 2 helper cells (IH2) and multi-potent progenitor type 2 cells (MPPtype2). Cells of the last population synthesize IL-5 and IL-13. It is assumed that an extraordinary functional diversity of ILC family, resembles T cells, probably because they are under the control of the corresponding transcription factors - as direct regulation factors, such as the family of lymphocytes T.