Purpose of review: Here, we review recent literature indicating a role of innate lymphoid cells in human inflammatory bowel disease with a focus on the plastic population of ILC3.
Recent findings: Many studies suggest an involvement of ILC3 in human intestinal inflammation. ILC3 present the most abundant ILC subtype in the human intestine at steady state. In IBD, this composition is skewed towards ILCs showing an ILC1 phenotype and cytokine profile. This change is likely due to the microenvironment causing skewing of the functionally plastic ILC subsets. Interactions between ILCs and other cells are important to keep homeostasis and intestinal barrier integrity. The knowledge about the involvement of ILCs in IBD is rapidly increasing, and with the help of mouse models, new pathways and functions of ILCs are continuously unraveled. In the majority of human studies, a potential role for ILCs in Crohn's disease is found. However, less data is available for a possible role in ulcerative colitis. Results from mice are obtained from diverse model systems, and more research in this field is needed to clarify and integrate the current knowledge in order to improve treatment strategies for IBD patients.
Keywords: ILC3; Inflammatory bowel disease; Innate lymphoid cells; Intestinal homeostasis.