Epithelial-Cell-Derived Phospholipase A(2) Group 1B Is an Endogenous Anthelmintic

Immunity to intestinal helminth infections has been well studied, but the mechanism of helminth killing prior to expulsion remains unclear. Here we identify epithelial-cell-derived phospholipase A(2) group 1B (PLA(2)g1B) as a host-derived endogenous anthelmintic. PLA(2)g1B is elevated in resistant mice and is responsible for killing tissue-embedded larvae. Despite comparable activities of other essential type-2-dependent immune mechanisms, Pla2g1b(−/−) mice failed to expel the intestinal helminths Heligmosomoides polygyrus or Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. Expression of Pla2g1b by epithelial cells was dependent upon intestinal microbiota, adaptive immunity, and common-gamma chain-dependent signaling. Notably, Pla2g1b was downregulated in susceptible mice and inhibited by IL-4R-signaling in vitro, uncoupling parasite killing from expulsion mechanisms. Resistance was restored in Pla2g1b(−/−) mice by treating infective H. polygyrus L3 larvae with PLA(2)g1B, which reduced larval phospholipid abundance. These findings uncover epithelial-cell-derived Pla2g1b as an essential mediator of helminth killing, highlighting a previously overlooked mechanism of anti-helminth immunity.