Divergent ILC3 responses to PDGF-D control mucosal immunity
Abstract
group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s). However, mice lack NKp44, raising the question of whether PDGF-D regulates murine ILC3s through a distinct pathway. We show that PDGF-D promoted interleukin-22 (IL-22) production and ILC3 proliferation in mice through PDGF receptor β (PDGFRβ), a canonical receptor absent in human ILC3s. Mice lacking PDGFRβ in ILC3s were susceptible to enteric infections. Using NKp44-transgenic mice, we demonstrate that PDGF-D engagement of NKp44 instead induced a type 1 effector program marked by tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production. Although early IFN-γ release protected mice from enteric infections, sustained IFN-γ was detrimental. Tissue localization analysis with a PDGF-D reporter identified fibroblasts and endothelial cells as inflammation-responsive PDGF-D sources. These findings reveal evolutionarily divergent PDGF-D sensing mechanisms in ILC3s and uncover their differential contributions to mucosal immunity during infection.
Fields of Study & Subjects
IL-33
ST2
and ILC Pathways
T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Mast cells and histamine
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Science Immunology
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 116
- Pages
- eaea6848–eaea6848
- Publication date
- 13 February 2026
- Language
- EN