Innate lymphoid cell development requires TOX-dependent generation of a common ILC progenitor

Subtypes of innate lymphoid cells (ILC), defined by effector function and transcription factor expression, have recently been identified. In the adult, ILC derive from common lymphoid progenitors in bone marrow, although transcriptional regulation of the developmental pathways involved remains poorly defined. TOX is required for development of lymphoid tissue inducer cells, a type of ILC3 required for lymph node organogenesis, and NK cells, a type of ILC1. We show here that production of multiple ILC lineages requires TOX, as a result of TOX-dependent development of common ILC progenitors. Comparative transcriptome analysis demonstrated failure to induce various aspects of the ILC gene program in the absence of TOX, implicating this nuclear factor as a key early determinant of ILC lineage specification. TOX KO vs. wild tyype