Citation Information: JCI Insight. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.143509.
Abstract
2'3'-cGAMP is known as a non-classical 2nd messenger and small immune modulator that possesses potent anti-tumor and antiviral activities through stimulating STING-mediated signaling pathway. However, its function in regulating type 2 immune responses remains unknown. We sought to determine a role of STING activation by 2'3'-cGAMP in type 2 inflammatory reactions in multiple mouse models of eosinophilic asthma. We discovered that 2'3'-cGAMP administration strongly attenuated type 2 lung immunopathology and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) induced by IL-33 and a fungal allergen, A. flavus. Mechanistically, upon the respiratory delivery, 2'3'-cGAMP was mainly internalized by alveolar macrophages, in which it activated the STING-IRF3-IFN-I signaling axis to induce the production of inhibitory factors containing IFNα, which blocked the IL-33-mediated activation of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in vivo. We further demonstrated that 2'3'-cGAMP directly suppressed the proliferation and function of both human and mouse ILC2 in vitro. Taken together, our findings suggest that STING activation by 2'3'-cGAMP in alveolar macrophages and ILC2 cells can negatively regulate type 2 immune responses, implying that the respiratory delivery of 2'3'-cGAMP might be further developed as an alternative strategy for treating type 2 immunopathologic diseases such as eosinophilic asthma.
Authors
Li She, Gema D. Barrera, Liping Yan, Hamad Hazzaa Alanazi, Edward G. Brooks, Peter H. Dube, Yilun Sun, Hong Zan, Daniel P. Chupp, Nu Zhang, Xin Zhang, Yong Liu, Xiao-Dong Li
