Next Generation Sequencing Facilitates Quantitative Analysis of the effects of PD-1 deficiency on sorted mouse pulmonary ILC2 Transcriptomes

Allergic asthma is a leading chronic disease associated with airway hyperreactivity (AHR). Type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are a potent source of T-helper 2 cytokines that promote AHR and lung inflammation. In this study, we evaluated the protective role of PD-1 on the development of AHR by focusing on its capacity to regulate ILC2 activation. We find that PD-1 is highly inducible in pulmonary ILC2s and shapes their transcriptional activity, activation and metabolism. Our findings provide new insights regarding the mechanisms of ILC2 regulation, which could be used in innovative approaches for the treatment of allergic asthma. mRNA profiles of sorted mouse pulmonary ILC2s from BALB/cByJ (WT) and PD-1 KO mice were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using a NextSeq 500 (Illumina) system.