Regulatory innate lymphoid cells suppress innate immunity and reduce renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

Innate lymphoid cells are a recently recognized group of immune cells with critical roles in tissue homeostasis and inflammation. Regulatory innate lymphoid cells are a newly identified subset of innate lymphoid cells, which play a suppressive role in the innate immune response, favoring the resolution of intestinal inflammation. However, the expression and role of regulatory innate lymphoid cells in kidney has not been reported. Here, we show that regulatory innate lymphoid cells are present in both human and mouse kidney, express similar surface markers and form a similar proportion of total kidney innate lymphoid cells. Regulatory innate lymphoid cells from kidney were expanded in vitro with a combination of IL-2, IL-7 and transforming growth factor-β. These cells exhibited immunosuppressive effects on innate immune cells via secretion of IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β. Moreover, treatment with IL-2/IL-2 antibody complexes (IL-2C) promoted expansion of regulatory innate lymphoid cells in vivo, and prevent renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in Rag–/– mice that lack adaptive immune cells including Tregs. Depletion of regulatory innate lymphoid cells with anti-CD25 antibody abolished the beneficial effects of IL-2C in the Rag–/– mice. Adoptive transfer of ex vivo expanded regulatory innate lymphoid cells improved renal function and attenuated histologic damage when given before or after induction of ischemia/reperfusion injury in association with reduction of neutrophil infiltration and induction of reparative M2 macrophages in kidney. Thus, our study shows that regulatory innate lymphoid cells suppress innate renal inflammation and ischemia/reperfusion injury.