# ETH Zurich: IκBζ regulates ILC2 effector functions; mice lacking it clear hookworm slower

- Published: 2026-11-11 06:41 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: group 2 innate lymphoid cells, IκBζ, IL-5 production, IL-33, IL-25, chromatin accessibility, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, papain-induced airway inflammation, ETH Zurich
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-3c5d0679dce1282463f12d44_eth_zurich_i/

**In mice, the transcriptional regulator IκBζ controls cytokine production and proliferation of ILC2 cells. Without it, hookworm clearance is delayed and airway inflammation is reduced.**

![ETH Zurich: IκBζ regulates ILC2 effector functions; mice lacking it clear hookworm slower](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/b992e6a055e2d8a2.jpg)
*NASA Johnson Space Center, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

A team from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, the University of Geneva and other institutions reported that the transcriptional regulator IκBζ is essential for the effector functions of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2). The work, in mice, was published on 9 November 2026 in Nature Communications [1].

ILC2s are sentinel cells that maintain tissue homeostasis and take part in the immune response to helminths by secreting type 2 cytokines. IκBζ is an atypical member of the IκB family. According to the authors, it controls basal IL-5 production by ILC2s and governs their effector program during helminth infection and asthma [1].

## IκBζ expression in ILC2

Peripheral ILC2s express IκBζ at steady state. Its expression increases further after stimulation with IL-33 or IL-25, in an NF-κB- and STAT3/5-dependent manner [1].

The authors report that after activation IκBζ refines chromatin accessibility at regulatory elements of effector cytokine loci, thereby licensing their transcription [1].

## Effects of IκBζ deficiency in mice

ILC2s lacking IκBζ secreted less type 2 cytokines and had impaired proliferative capacity [1]. Mice with IκBζ-deficient ILC2s cleared the hookworm Nippostrongylus brasiliensis more slowly than controls [1].

These mice also showed reduced airway inflammation induced by papain, a model of asthma [1].

Based on these results, the authors conclude that IκBζ plays a central role in orchestrating the ILC2 effector program in different tissues, in health and in disease [1]. The material does not report experiments in humans or any therapeutic application.

## Sources

1. [Nature Communications](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78876-0)

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