[PDF][PDF] An immunologic mode of multigenerational transmission governs a gut Treg setpoint

D Ramanan, E Sefik, S Galván-Peña, M Wu, L Yang… - Cell, 2020 - cell.com
D Ramanan, E Sefik, S Galván-Peña, M Wu, L Yang, Z Yang, A Kostic, TV Golovkina…
Cell, 2020cell.com
At the species level, immunity depends on the selection and transmission of protective
components of the immune system. A microbe-induced population of RORγ-expressing
regulatory T cells (Tregs) is essential in controlling gut inflammation. We uncovered a non-
genetic, non-epigenetic, non-microbial mode of transmission of their homeostatic setpoint.
RORγ+ Treg proportions varied between inbred mouse strains, a trait transmitted by the
mother during a tight age window after birth but stable for life, resistant to many microbial or …
Summary
At the species level, immunity depends on the selection and transmission of protective components of the immune system. A microbe-induced population of RORγ-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs) is essential in controlling gut inflammation. We uncovered a non-genetic, non-epigenetic, non-microbial mode of transmission of their homeostatic setpoint. RORγ+ Treg proportions varied between inbred mouse strains, a trait transmitted by the mother during a tight age window after birth but stable for life, resistant to many microbial or cellular perturbations, then further transferred by females for multiple generations. RORγ+ Treg proportions negatively correlated with IgA production and coating of gut commensals, traits also subject to maternal transmission, in an immunoglobulin- and RORγ+ Treg-dependent manner. We propose a model based on a double-negative feedback loop, vertically transmitted via the entero-mammary axis. This immunologic mode of multi-generational transmission may provide adaptability and modulate the genetic tuning of gut immune responses and inflammatory disease susceptibility.
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