Low-dose IL-2 shapes a tolerogenic gut microbiota that improves autoimmunity and gut inflammation

Abstract

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases and with cardiometabolic, neurological, and autoimmune diseases. Gut microbiota composition has a direct effect on the immune system, and vice versa, and it has a particular effect on Treg homeostasis. Low-dose IL-2 (IL-2LD) stimulates Tregs and is a promising treatment for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We aimed to evaluate the impact of IL-2LD on gut microbiota and correlatively on the immune system. We used 16S ribosomal RNA profiling and metagenomics to characterize gut microbiota of mice and humans treated or not with IL-2LD. We performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from IL-2LD-treated to naive recipient mice and evaluated its effects in models of gut inflammation and diabetes. IL-2LD markedly affected gut microbiota composition in mice and humans. Transfer of an IL-2-tuned microbiota by FMT protected C57BL/6J mice from dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis and prevented diabetes in NOD mice. Metagenomic analyses highlighted a role for several species affected by IL-2LD and for microbial pathways involved in the biosynthesis of amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, and L-arginine. Our results demonstrate that IL-2LD induced changes in gut microbiota that are involved in the immunoregulatory effects of IL-2LD and suggest a crosstalk between Tregs and gut microbiota. These results provide potentially novel insight for understanding the mode of action of Treg-directed therapies.