Project

Tri-methylated histone3 lysine27 (H3K27me3) induces repressive mark responsible for gene silencing. Its modification like inactivation enables the transcription of specific target genes. Chromatin modifiers of H3K27me3 regulate the activation and polarization of leukocytes. Type 2 Innate Lymphoid cells (ILC2) are the innate counterpart of Th2 lymphocytes enriched at the barrier surfaces where they play a role in tissue repair and anti-helminth defense. Previous work from our team showed that chromatin modifications are taking place during activation of ILC2s via the IL-33. Modification of the transcriptome are notably responsible of decreased expression of several transcription factors as well as St2, the IL-33 receptor, all involved in ILC2 maturation and activation. Altogether, our results direct towards a role for epigenetic modifications due to H3K27 modulations in ILC2 maturation and Th2 pathway maintenance through the IL-33/ST2 axis.