Microbiota-immune interactions in health and disease

Commensal microbes induce tissue-resident T cells, but the function of these T cells is not well understood. In this lecture I will present our latest data on the role of commensal Th17 cells in mucosal homeostasis and host physiology. I will explore how commensal Th17 cells in the small intestinal lamina propria participate in local mucosal protection and the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in their generation and maintenance locally in the intestinal lamina propria. I will also explore the protective role of commensal Th17 cells in systemic diseases, such as diet-induced obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. In addition, I will discuss the role of other type 3 immunity mediators, such as type 3 innate lymphoid cells in mucosal protection.