Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in the gut is common following hematopoetic cell transplantation (HCT) and is associated with high mortality. However, it remains unclear whether Th1 or Th17 CD4+ T cells can initiate acute gut GVHD. In this issue of the JCI, Ullrich and colleagues identified a subset of CD4+ T cells that express high levels of IL-7Rα and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (IL-7RαhiGM-CSF+) cells that are involved in the induction of acute gut GVHD in murine models. The IL-7RαhiGM-CSF+ effector memory cells were BATF dependent, RORγt independent, produced large amounts of GM-CSF and IFN-γ, and released little IL-17. CD4+IL-7RαhiGM-CSF+ cells were not classical Th17 cells but had more of a Th1-like phenotype, despite their dependence on BATF. This work suggests that targeting the IL-7R/BATF/GM-CSF axis has therapeutic potential for treating acute gut GVHD.

造血细胞移植（HCT）之后，肠道中的急性移植物抗宿主病（GVHD）很常见，并且死亡率高。然而，尚不清楚Th1或Th17 CD4 + T细胞是否可以启动急性肠道GVHD。在本期JCI中，Ullrich及其同事鉴定了一部分CD4 + T细胞，这些CD4 + T细胞表达高水平的IL-7Rα和粒细胞巨噬细胞CSF（IL-7RαhiGM-CSF+）细胞，它们参与了小鼠急性肠道GVHD的诱导楷模。IL-7RαhiGM-CSF+效应记忆细胞是BATF依赖的，RORγt独立的，产生大量的GM-CSF和IFN-γ，并释放很少的IL-17。CD4 +IL-7RαhiGM-CSF+细胞不是经典的Th17细胞，但具有更多的Th1样表型，尽管它们依赖于BATF。