Asthma is a heterogeneous disease whose development is shaped by a variety of environmental and genetic factors. While several recent studies suggest that microbial dysbiosis in the gut may promote asthma, little is known about the relationship between the recently discovered lung microbiome and asthma. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have also been shown recently to participate in asthma. To investigate the relationship between the lung microbiome, ILCs, and asthma, we recruited 23 healthy controls (HC), 42 patients with non-severe asthma, and 32 patients with severe asthma. Flow cytometry analysis showed severe asthma associated with fewer natural cytotoxicity receptor (NCR)⁺ILC3s in the lung. Similar changes in other ILC subsets, macrophages, and monocytes were not observed. The asthma patients did not differ from the HC in terms of the alpha and beta-diversity of the lung and gut microbiomes. However, lung function correlated positively with both NCR⁺ILC3 frequencies and microbial diversity in the lung. Sputum NCR⁺ILC3 frequencies correlated positively with lung microbiome diversity in the HC, but this relationship was inversed in severe asthma. Together, these data suggest that airway NCR⁺ILC3s may contribute to a healthy commensal diversity and normal lung function.

中文翻译：

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NCR+ILC3 与气道微生物组之间的相互作用影响哮喘的严重程度。

哮喘是一种异质性疾病，其发展受到多种环境和遗传因素的影响。虽然最近的几项研究表明肠道微生物失调可能会促进哮喘，但人们对最近发现的肺部微生物群与哮喘之间的关系知之甚少。最近也显示先天淋巴细胞（ILC）参与哮喘。为了研究肺微生物组、ILC 和哮喘之间的关系，我们招募了 23 名健康对照者 (HC)、42 名非严重哮喘患者和 32 名严重哮喘患者。流式细胞术分析显示严重哮喘与肺部天然细胞毒性受体 (NCR) ^{+ ILC3 较少相关。}在其他 ILC 亚群、巨噬细胞和单核细胞中没有观察到类似的变化。就肺和肠道微生物组的 α 和 β 多样性而言，哮喘患者与 HC 患者没有差异。然而，肺功能与 NCR ⁺ ILC3 频率和肺微生物多样性呈正相关。在 HC 中，痰 NCR ^{+ ILC3 频率与肺微生物组多样性呈正相关，但在严重哮喘中这种关系却相反。}总之，这些数据表明气道 NCR ⁺ ILC3 可能有助于健康的共生多样性和正常的肺功能。