ILC1-Like Innate Lymphocytes in Human Autoimmunity: Lessons from Alopecia Areata

This study investigated the role of ILC1-like innate lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA). Researchers found that NKG2D+ ILC1-like cells infiltrated the hair follicles (HFs) in AA patients, contributing to the collapse of hair follicle immune privilege by altering protein expression and reducing immune privilege guardians. Experiments demonstrated that ILC1-like cells could induce AA lesions in both ex-vivo human scalp hair follicles and in vivo human scalp skin xenotransplants on SCID mice. The study concluded that ILC1-like cells alone could trigger autoimmunity in healthy human hair follicles, suggesting that targeting non-antigen-specific innate lymphocytes could be a potential therapeutic strategy for managing AA. Additionally, the findings indicated that antigen-specific T cell activities were not essential for inducing the AA hair loss phenotype.