Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) lack antigen-specific receptors and are considered the innate arm of the immune system, phenotypically and functionally mirroring CD4+ helper T cells. ILCs are categorized into groups 1, 2, and 3 based on transcription factors and cytokine expression. ILCs predominantly reside in mucosal tissues and play important roles in regional immune responses. The development and function of ILC subsets are controlled by both transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms, which have been extensively studied in recent years. Epigenetic regulation refers to inheritable changes in gene expression that occur without affecting DNA sequences. This mainly includes chromatin status, histone modifications, and DNA methylation. In this review, we summarize recent discoveries on epigenetic mechanisms regulating ILC development and function, and how these regulations affect disease progression under pathological conditions. Although the ablation of specific epigenetic regulators can cause global changes in corresponding epigenetic modifications to the chromatin, only partial genes with altered epigenetic modifications change their mRNA expression, resulting in specific outcomes in cell differentiation and function. Therefore, elucidating epigenetic mechanisms underlying the regulation of ILCs will provide potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases. Environmental factors may alter the expression of epigenetic modulators in ILCs, which affect the chromatin status, and histone/DNA modifications. The epigenetic regulations intertwine with transcriptional mechanisms to control the development, differentiation, and function of ILCs, which is critical for tissue homeostasis and the progress of inflammatory diseases. image
基金：
Ministry of Science and Technology of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China [32022027, 31970860, 32200730]; Shanghai Science and Technology Committee (STCSM) [22ZR1481800, 20ZR1466900]; [2019YFA0802502]; [2020YFA0509103]; [20234Y003]
