The orphan nuclear receptor RORα and group 3 innate lymphoid cells drive fibrosis in a mouse model of Crohn’s disease

Abstract

Fibrosis is the result of dysregulated tissue regeneration and is characterized by excessive accumulation of matrix proteins that become detrimental to tissue function. In Crohn's disease, this manifests itself as recurrent gastrointestinal strictures for which there is no effective therapy beyond surgical intervention. Using a model of infection-induced chronic gut inflammation, we show that <i>Rora</i>-deficient mice are protected from fibrosis; infected intestinal tissues display diminished pathology, attenuated collagen deposition and reduced fibroblast accumulation. Although <i>Rora</i> is best known for its role in ILC2 development, we find that <i>Salmonella</i>-induced fibrosis is independent of eosinophils, STAT6 signaling and Th2 cytokine production arguing that this process is largely ILC2-independent. Instead, we observe reduced levels of ILC3- and T cell-derived IL-17A and IL-22 in infected gut tissues. Furthermore, using <i>Rora^sg/sg</i> /<i>Rag1</i>^-/- bone marrow chimeric mice, we show that restoring ILC function is sufficient to re-establish IL-17A and IL-22 production and a profibrotic phenotype. Our results show that RORα-dependent ILC3 functions are pivotal in mediating gut fibrosis and they offer an avenue for therapeutic intervention in Crohn's-like diseases.