Lineage Relationship Analysis of RORγt+ Innate Lymphoid Cells

Innate lymphocytes (ILCs) are a recently described population of immune cells that produce cytokines like those associated with T helper cells, but lack the recombined antigen receptors characteristic of T cells. Again, like some T helper cell lineages, a proportion of ILCs express the transcription factor RORγt. These include lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells required for fetal lymphoid tissue organogenesis and a population of natural killer (NK)–like cells that function in gut immune responses. Sawa et al. (p. [665][1]; see the Perspective by [Veldhoen and Withers][2] ) wondered whether the RORγt-expressing ILCs all develop from the same progenitor population. Indeed, they found a fetal liver progenitor that gave rise to several phenotypically distinct populations. However, the LTi cells were not progenitors for the NK-like cells. It seems the trajectory of different ILC populations is developmentally regulated, and postnatally ILCs are favored that play a role in intestinal defense before the gut is fully colonized by intestinal microbiota. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1194597 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1198298