Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILCs) as Mediators of Inflammation, Release of Cytokines and Lytic Molecules
Noha Mousaad Elemam 
1
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, and Sharjah Institute for Medical Research (SIMR), University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
2
Medical Department, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai 65522, UAE
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Vernon L. Tesh
Toxins 2017, 9(12), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins9120398
Received: 2 November 2017 / Revised: 7 December 2017 / Accepted: 8 December 2017 / Published: 10 December 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Molecular Mechanism of the Interplay between Toxins Driven Microbiota Dysbiosis and Innate Immunity)
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are an emerging group of immune cells that provide the first line of defense against various pathogens as well as contributing to tissue repair and inflammation. ILCs have been classically divided into three subgroups based on their cytokine secretion and transcription factor profiles. ILC nomenclature is analogous to that of T helper cells. Group 1 ILCs composed of natural killer (NK) cells as well as IFN-γ secreting ILC1s. ILC2s have the capability to produce TH2 cytokines while ILC3s and lymphoid tissue inducer (LTis) are subsets of cells that are able to secrete IL-17 and/or IL-22. A recent subset of ILC known as ILC4 was discovered, and the cells of this subset were designated as NK17/NK1 due to their release of IL-17 and IFN-γ. In this review, we sought to explain the subclasses of ILCs and their roles as mediators of lytic enzymes and inflammation.
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Keywords:
NK cells; innate lymphoid cells; lytic molecules; inflammation
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MDPI and ACS Style
Elemam, N.M.; Hannawi, S.; Maghazachi, A.A. Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILCs) as Mediators of Inflammation, Release of Cytokines and Lytic Molecules. Toxins 2017, 9, 398.
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