TY - JOUR
T1 - An ocular commensal protects against corneal infection by driving an Interleukin-17 response from mucosal γδ T cells
AU - St. Leger, Anthony J.
AU - Desai, Jigar V.
AU - Drummond, Rebecca A.
AU - Kugadas, Abirami
AU - Almaghrabi, Fatimah
AU - Silver, Phyllis
AU - Raychaudhuri, Kumarkrishna
AU - Gadjeva, Mihaela
AU - Iwakura, Yoichiro
AU - Lionakis, Michail S.
AU - Caspi, Rachel R.
PY - 2017/7/18
Y1 - 2017/7/18
N2 - Mucosal sites such as the intestine, oral cavity, nasopharynx, and vagina all have associated commensal flora. The surface of the eye is also a mucosal site, but proof of a living, resident ocular microbiome remains elusive. Here, we used a mouse model of ocular surface disease to reveal that commensals were present in the ocular mucosa and had functional immunological consequences. We isolated one such candidate commensal, Corynebacterium mastitidis, and showed that this organism elicited a commensal-specific interleukin-17 response from γδ T cells in the ocular mucosa that was central to local immunity. The commensal-specific response drove neutrophil recruitment and the release of antimicrobials into the tears and protected the eye from pathogenic Candida albicans or Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Our findings provide direct evidence that a resident commensal microbiome exists on the ocular surface and identify the cellular mechanisms underlying its effects on ocular immune homeostasis and host defense.
AB - Mucosal sites such as the intestine, oral cavity, nasopharynx, and vagina all have associated commensal flora. The surface of the eye is also a mucosal site, but proof of a living, resident ocular microbiome remains elusive. Here, we used a mouse model of ocular surface disease to reveal that commensals were present in the ocular mucosa and had functional immunological consequences. We isolated one such candidate commensal, Corynebacterium mastitidis, and showed that this organism elicited a commensal-specific interleukin-17 response from γδ T cells in the ocular mucosa that was central to local immunity. The commensal-specific response drove neutrophil recruitment and the release of antimicrobials into the tears and protected the eye from pathogenic Candida albicans or Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Our findings provide direct evidence that a resident commensal microbiome exists on the ocular surface and identify the cellular mechanisms underlying its effects on ocular immune homeostasis and host defense.
KW - host defense
KW - IL-17
KW - microbiome
KW - mucosal immunity
KW - ocular commensal bacteria
KW - ocular surface disease
KW - γδ T cells
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021963755&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.immuni.2017.06.014
DO - 10.1016/j.immuni.2017.06.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 28709803
AN - SCOPUS:85021963755
SN - 1074-7613
VL - 47
SP - 148-158.e5
JO - Immunity
JF - Immunity
IS - 1
ER -