Interleukin-22 suppresses major histocompatibility complex II in mucosal epithelial cells

Md Moniruzzaman, M. Arifur Rahman, Ran Wang, Kuan Yau Wong, Alice C.H. Chen, Alexandra Mueller, Steven Taylor, Alexa Harding, Thishan Illankoon, Percival Wiid, Haressh Sajiir, Veronika Schreiber, Lucy D. Burr, Michael A. McGuckin, Simon Phipps, Sumaira Z. Hasnain

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II is dynamically expressed on mucosal epithelial cells and is induced in response to inflammation and parasitic infections, upon exposure to microbiota, and is increased in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the regulation of epithelial cell-specific MHC II during homeostasis is yet to be explored. We discovered a novel role for IL-22 in suppressing epithelial cell MHC II partially via the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, using animals lacking the interleukin-22-receptor (IL-22RA1), primary human and murine intestinal and respiratory organoids, and murine models of respiratory virus infection or with intestinal epithelial cell defects. IL-22 directly downregulated interferon-γ-induced MHC II on primary epithelial cells by modulating the expression of MHC II antigen A α (H2-Aα) and Class II transactivator (Ciita), a master regulator of MHC II gene expression. IL-22RA1-knockouts have significantly higher MHC II expression on mucosal epithelial cells. Thus, while IL-22-based therapeutics improve pathology in chronic disease, their use may increase susceptibility to viral infections.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere20230106
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Experimental Medicine
Volume220
Issue number11
Early online date11 Sept 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Nov 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Infectious disease and host defense
  • Innate immunity and inflammation
  • Mucosal immunology

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