Runx3 specifies lineage commitment of innate lymphoid cells

Subsets of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) reside in the mucosa and regulate immune responses against external pathogens. While ILCs can be phenotypically classified into ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 cells, the transcriptional control of lineage commitment for each ILC subset is incompletely understood. Here we report that the transcription factor Runx3 was essential for normal development of ILC1 and ILC3, but not ILC2 cells. Runx3 controlled the survival of ILC1, but not ILC3 cells. Runx3 was required for the expression of RORγt and its downstream target, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, in ILC3 cells. The absence of Runx3 in ILCs exacerbated C. rodentium infections. Therefore, our data establish Runx3 as a key transcription factor for lineage-specific differentiation of ILC1 and ILC3 cells.