IL-17A-Expressing T Cells Are Essential for Bacterial Clearance in a Murine Model of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an inflammatory lung disease characterized by a diffuse mononuclear cell infiltrate in the lung that can progress to pulmonary fibrosis with chronic exposure to an inhaled Ag. We previously reported that C57BL/6 mice repeatedly exposed to the ubiquitous microorganism Bacillus subtilis develop mononuclear infiltrates in the lung that contain Vγ6/Vδ1+ γδ T cells. In the absence of this T cell subset, mice treated with B. subtilis had significantly increased collagen deposition in the lung, suggesting a regulatory role for Vγ6/Vδ1+ γδ T cells. To further investigate the role of Vγ6/Vδ1+ γδ T cells in B. subtilis-induced lung fibrosis, we exposed transgenic Vγ6/Vδ1 mice to this microorganism and found decreased collagen content in the lung compared with wild-type C57BL/6 mice. Cytokine analysis of lung homogenates from wild-type C57BL/6 mice demonstrated increased IL-17A concentrations with repeated exposure to B. subtilis. In the absence of IL-17 receptor signaling, IL-17ra−/− mice had delayed clearance of B. subtilis with increased lung inflammation and fibrosis. Although IL-17A was predominantly expressed by Vγ6/Vδ1+ T cells, a compensatory increase in IL-17A expression by CD4+ T cells was seen in the absence of γδ T cells that resulted in similar levels of IL-17A in the lungs of TCRδ−/− and wild-type C57BL/6 mice. In combination, our data suggest an important role for IL-17A-expressing T lymphocytes, both γδ and αβ T cells, in eliminating this microorganism that prevents excessive inflammation and eventual lung fibrosis in this murine model of B. subtilis-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis.