University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Role of type 2 innate lymphoid cells in immune-mediated liver disease and liver regeneration
Dysregulation of the immune system can cause chronic inflammation responsible for the development of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) describes a loss of immune tolerance to hepatic autoantigens leading to chronic liver injury. Previously, type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) have been shown to mediate type 2 immune responses and contribute to tissue remodeling and regeneration. However, very little is known about ILC2s in liver disease. We recently identified ILC2s as a new effector cell population of the innate immune system that drives acute liver inflammation and tissue damage. Our project will focus on the identification of mechanisms involved in the function and regulation of hepatic ILC2s during liver inflammation and regeneration by using murine models of acute and chronic liver disease and liver regeneration. We aim to understand how ILC2s contribute to inflammatory and regenerative processes in the liver to reveal new therapeutic options in AIH based on selective targeting of ILC2-mediated hepatic immune responses.
Publications
Neumann K, Karimi K, Meiners J, Voetlause R, Steinmann S, Dammermann W, Lüth S, Asghari F, Wegscheid C, Horst AK, Tiegs G. A Proinflammatory Role of Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells in Murine Immune-Mediated Hepatitis. J Immunol. 2017 Jan 1;198(1):128-137