Metabolic Control of Innate Immune Function and Barrier Immunity

The discovery of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) has revealed their central role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and protecting against inflammatory disease. Our recent work showed that exposure to a high-fat diet rapidly impairs ILC3 function, leading to increased gut permeability, microbial imbalance, and reduced barrier protection (Xiong, Immunity, 58(6), 1185). These findings highlight that dietary components are not only nutrients but also powerful modulators of immune function. This project aims to unravel how specific lipids and metabolites regulate ILC activity and intestinal health, and how these pathways differ between protective and pathogenic dietary exposures. Students will use cutting-edge approaches including immune cell metabolism assays, lipidomics, advanced mouse models, organ culture systems, and single-cell RNA sequencing to define how diet rewires mucosal immunity