ILC3s sense gut microbiota through STING to initiate immune tolerance

Establishing immune tolerance to gut microbiota is necessary for human health and to prevent chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanisms that initiate antigen-specific immune tolerance remain elusive. We unexpectedly identified STING signaling in ILC3s as a key mechanism that permits direct sensing of microbial cyclic dinucleotides, supports induction of microbiota-specific regulatory T cells, and protects from gut inflammation. To determine if STING in ILC3s impacts the microbiota composition in the gut, we performed 16S rRNA sequencing on fecal samples from Sting1 f/f and RORgtCre Sting1 f/f mice at steady state.