Nature Communications (Feb 2022)
IL-22 initiates an IL-18-dependent epithelial response circuit to enforce intestinal host defence
Abstract
IL-22 induces IL-18 expression by intestinal epithelial cells. Authors show here that IL-18 is a key barrier maintenance factor during adherent-invasive E. coli invasion, inducing expression of anti-microbial genes in Paneth cells via Stat3, prompting IFNγ expression in T cells and triggering intestinal Lgr5+ stem cell expansion via Tcf4.