The helminth T2 RNase ω1 promotes metabolic homeostasis in an IL-33– and group 2 innate lymphoid cell–dependent mechanism

Induction of a type 2 cellular response in the white adipose tissue leads to weight loss and improves glucose homeostasis in obese animals. Injection of obese mice with recombinant helminth-derived Schistosoma mansoni egg-derived ω1 (ω1), a potent inducer of type 2 activation, improves metabolic status involving a mechanism reliant upon release of the type 2 initiator cytokine IL-33. IL-33 initiates the accumulation of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), eosinophils, and alternatively activated macrophages in the adipose tissue. IL-33 release from cells in the adipose tissue is mediated by the RNase activity of ω1; however, the ability of ω1 to improve metabolic status is reliant upon effective binding of ω1 to CD206. We demonstrate a novel mechanism for RNase-mediated release of IL-33 inducing ILC2-dependent improvements in the metabolic status of obese animals.