Mesenchymal stromal cells stimulate the proliferation and IL-22 production of group 3 innate lymphoid cells

Infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a promising and increasingly applied therapy for patients who suffer from a variety of inflammatory diseases, including graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a common and life-threatening complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The therapeutic effect of MSCs is mainly ascribed to their ability to suppress T cells and to support tissue repair. However, clinical response rates in patients with GvHD are limited to 50%, and the determinants for MSC responsiveness are unknown.We recently reported that high frequencies of activated group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were associated with a lower risk of GvHD. This may be related to IL-22 production by ILC3s, a cytokine important for intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis. In this study, we investigated whether ILC3s may contribute to the therapeutic effect of MSCs by studying the interaction between MSCs and ILC3s in vitro. ILC3s isolated from human tonsils were cocultured with human bone marrow-derived MSCs for 5 d in the presence of IL-2. Coculture with MSCs enhanced the proliferation and IL-22 production of ILC3s. Reciprocally, ILC3s promoted ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression on MSCs. For both directions, the activation was mainly mediated by cell-cell contact and by MSC-derived IL-7 and likely by aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands. Thus, in addition to inhibiting the proliferation of alloreactive T cells, MSCs also promote the expansion and IL-22 production of ILC3s, which may contribute to healthy homeostasis and wound repair in the treatment of various inflammatory conditions in the intestine, including GvHD.