CD226 deficiency exacerbated intestinal immune dysregulation in mice with dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic...

Intestinal mucosal immunity plays a pivotal role in host defence. In this study, we found that cluster of differentiation 226 (CD226) gene knockout (KO) led to more severe atopic dermatitis (AD)-related skin pathologies and bowel abnormalities in a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD-like mouse model. Following DNCB administration, the expression of CD226 was elevated in intestinal mucosal tissues, including group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) and CD4⁺ T cells of Peyer's patches (PPs). CD226 deficiency led to an overactive intestinal immune response in the AD-like mice, as evidenced by increased inflammation and Th1/Th2-related cytokine levels as well as increased Paneth cell numbers and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression, which was likely due to the higher interleukin (IL)-22 production in the lamina propria. Additionally, CD226 deficiency increased the production of IL-4 and IL-17 in mesenteric lymph nodes as well as the number of PPs and expression of immunoglobulin (Ig) A in B cells. Moreover, insufficient expression of CD226 affected the characterization of intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes in the intestinal mucosa. Finally, the number of PPs was increased in CD4⁺ T cell-specific CD226 KO and regulatory T (Treg) cell-specific CD226 KO mice; thus, loss of CD226 in Treg cells resulted in impaired Treg cell-suppressive function. Therefore, our findings indicate that CD226 deficiency alters intestinal immune functionality in inflammatory diseases.