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  • Minns et al AAM

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The neutrophil antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin promotes Th17 differentiation

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

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  • Danielle Minns
  • Katie Smith
  • Virginia Alessandrini
  • Gareth Hardisty
  • Lauren Melrose
  • Lucy Jackson-Jones
  • Andrew S MacDonald
  • Donald Davidson
  • Emily Gwyer Findlay
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Article number1285
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>24/02/2021
<mark>Journal</mark>Nature Communications
Volume12
Number of pages16
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The host defence peptide cathelicidin (LL-37 in humans, mCRAMP in mice) is released from neutrophils by de-granulation, NETosis and necrotic death; it has potent anti-pathogen activity as well as being a broad immunomodulator. Here we report that cathelicidin is a powerful Th17 potentiator which enhances aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and RORγt expression, in a TGF-β1-dependent manner. In the presence of TGF-β1, cathelicidin enhanced SMAD2/3 and STAT3 phosphorylation, and profoundly suppressed IL-2 and T-bet, directing T cells away from Th1 and into a Th17 phenotype. Strikingly, Th17 but not Th1 cells were protected from apoptosis by cathelicidin. We show that cathelicidin is released by neutrophils in mouse lymph nodes and that cathelicidin-deficient mice display suppressed Th17 responses during inflammation, but not at steady state. We propose that the neutrophil cathelicidin is required for maximal Th17 differentiation, and that this is one method by which early neutrophilia directs subsequent adaptive immune responses.