P073 - MESENCHYMAL STEM/STROMAL CELLS REGULATE GUT INFLAMMATION AND INFECTION VIA IL-33 PRODUCTION
(Room Poster Hall)
19 Jan 18
5:30 PM
-
7:00 PM
Tracks:
Clinical and Research Challenges
Interleukin (IL-)33 is a cytokine that possesses dichotomous functions in the gut. Whereas various cell types have been reported to produce IL-33, conventionally it is believed to be released from damaged intestinal epithelial cells. Many cell types express the ST2 receptor complex and respond to IL-33 signal, leading to context dependent pro- or anti-inflammatory responses. We have employed antibody staining and a novel IL-33-GFP reporter mouse to characterize the IL-33-producing cell types in the gut in health and various inflammatory or infection conditions. Besides epithelial cells there are several immune and structural cell populations that express IL-33 at a high level at steady state or in disease. To address the significance of these cell types in IL-33 production, we have employed an IL-33 floxed mouse. Importantly, we show that besides epithelial cells, mesenchymal stem/stromal cells are crucial producers of IL-33 in gastrointestinal parasite infection and gut inflammation models.