Neuronal regulation of type 2 innate lymphoid cells via neuromedin U

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are innate regulators of inflammation and tissue repair. Henrique Veiga-Fernandes and colleagues provide evidence that ILC2s express the neuromedin U receptor 1 (Nmur1) and respond to neuromedin expressed by adjacent enteric neurons. In mice, the interaction results in an enhanced and immediate response of ILC2s to infection by the parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. Elsewhere in this issue, David Artis and colleagues also report that ILC2s express NMUR1, making them responsive to neuronal neuromedin. This promoted a tissue-protective type 2 response and accelerated expulsion of the gastrointestinal nematode N. brasiliensis in mice.