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

The study investigated the role of ILC1-like innate lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA) using both ex-vivo and in-vivo models. It was found that NKG2D+ ILC1-like cells infiltrated the hair follicles (HFs) in AA, contributing to the collapse of immune privilege in these follicles. Experiments demonstrated that co-culturing ILC1-like cells with stressed human scalp HFs or injecting them into healthy human xenotransplants on SCID mice induced AA-like lesions. The study concluded that ILC1-like cells alone could trigger autoimmunity in healthy human HFs, suggesting that targeting non-antigen-specific innate lymphocytes could be a potential therapeutic strategy for AA. Additionally, it highlighted that antigen-specific T cell activities might not be essential for AA hair loss, emphasizing the role of innate lymphocytes in the disease.