A chemogenetic screen reveals that Trpv1-expressing neurons control regulatory T cells in the gut

Abstract

Neuroimmune cross-talk participates in intestinal tissue homeostasis and host defense. However, the matrix of interactions between arrays of molecularly defined neuron subsets and of immunocyte lineages remains unclear. We used a chemogenetic approach to activate eight distinct neuronal subsets, assessing effects by deep immunophenotyping, microbiome profiling, and immunocyte transcriptomics in intestinal organs. Distinct immune perturbations followed neuronal activation: Nitrergic neurons regulated T helper 17 (T H 17)–like cells, and cholinergic neurons regulated neutrophils. Nociceptor neurons, expressing Trpv1, elicited the broadest immunomodulation, inducing changes in innate lymphocytes, macrophages, and RORγ + regulatory T (T reg ) cells. Neuroanatomical, genetic, and pharmacological follow-up showed that Trpv1 + neurons in dorsal root ganglia decreased T reg cell numbers via the neuropeptide calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP). Given the role of these neurons in nociception, these data potentially link pain signaling with gut T reg cell function.