Intestinal type 2 inflammation reprograms mesenteric adipose tissue and permanently alters its resident immune cell niche [bulk RNA]

In addition to adipocytes, adipose tissue (AT) is populated by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in stages of commitment to the adipocyte lineage, and immune cells which support homeostatic tissue function. How MSC and immune cells interact during infection is poorly understood. We found that during intestinal nematode infection, MSC in gut-associated AT (mFAT) exhibit a bias away from commitment to the adipocyte lineage towards a pluripotent progenitor state. During this time, MSC became metabolically active, and began secreting the alarmins IL-33 and TSLP, and extracellular matrix collagens. In parallel, mFAT became irreversibly populated by Th2 resident memory (Th2RM) cells, which make the tissue modulatory cytokines amphiregulin and TGFβ1. Secretion of these cytokines, and Th2RM activation and maintenance, was driven by IL-33 and TSLP and in turn MSC activation was induced by amphiregulin and TGFβ1. Our findings link Th2RM cells to reversible mFAT remodeling during intestinal infection and underscore the reciprocal dependence of stroma and resident immune cells for lasting tissue immunity. 3 mice for each condition (Control, single infection, recovery and secondary infection) were used.