IL-36 cytokines imprint a colitogenic phenotype on CD4 ⁺ T helper cells

Abstract

IL-36 cytokines are emerging as potent orchestrators of intestinal inflammation and are being implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, the mechanisms through which these cytokines mediate these effects remain to be fully uncovered. Here, we report specifically elevated expression of IL-36α, and not IL-36β or IL-36γ in the serum of newly diagnosed, treatment naïve, paediatric IBD patients and identify T cells as primary cellular mediators of IL-36 responses in the inflamed gut. IL-36R expression on CD4 ⁺ T cells was found to promote intestinal pathology in a murine model of colitis. Consistent with these effects, IL-36R can act as a potent instructor of CD4 ⁺ T cell differentiation in vivo, enhancing Th1 responses, while inhibiting the generation of Tregs. In addition, loss of IL-36 responsiveness significantly reduced the migration of pathogenic CD4 ⁺ T cells towards intestinal tissues and IL-36 was found to act, uniquely among IL-1 family members, to induce the expression of gut homing receptors in proinflammatory murine and human CD4 ⁺ T cells. These data reveal an important role for IL-36 cytokines in driving the colitogenic potential of CD4 ⁺ T cells and identify a new mechanism through which they may contribute to disease pathogenesis.