Immune-neuron crosstalk regulates intestinal homeostasis

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

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Abstract

We identified that interleukin-33, an alarmin cytokine in the gut, can be specifically sensed by enterochromaffin (EC) cells, inducing instant release of serotonin (5-HT) to orchestrate both local and systemic physiology (Chen et al., Immunity, 2021; Blood, 2022). Further, we elucidated the critical role of iNKT-EC cell crosstalk to sense lipid antigens via CD1d in calibrating 5-HT release (Luo et al., Immunity, 2023). These works collectively demonstrate that immune regulators are largely involved in controlling intestinal neuroendocrinal responses.