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Maintaining intestinal homeostasis relies on the intricate interplay among the mucosal epithelium, immune system, and host microbiome. A key question is how innate immune cells sense and process microbes in the gut lumen, eliciting appropriate protective responses without causing tissue injury. Clearance of invading microbes and initiation of downstream inflammatory responses are central to this process and require proper function of the endolysosomal system. Dysfunction of this system can predispose the host to chronic inflammatory disorders and acute infections. Here, through forward genetic screening of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-mutagenized mice and CRISPR/Cas9 validation, we identify , encoding leucine-rich melanocyte differentiation-associated protein (LRMDA), as a key regulator of intestinal homeostasis. Using hematopoietic chimera and conditional knockouts, we show that LRMDA functions primarily in CD11c cells, including mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages, but not in non-hematopoietic cells. Proteomic, cellular, and biochemical analyses reveal that LRMDA directly and cooperatively interacts with the endolysosome-specific small GTPase Rab32 and the endosomal recycling complex Retriever. Loss of LRMDA or Retriever function increases susceptibility to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and impairs clearance of . Together, our findings establish the Rab32-LRMDA-Retriever complex as a critical regulator of endolysosomal trafficking in innate immune cells, essential for maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12338710 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.16.665158 | DOI Listing |
bioRxiv
July 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, 75390, USA.
Maintaining intestinal homeostasis relies on the intricate interplay among the mucosal epithelium, immune system, and host microbiome. A key question is how innate immune cells sense and process microbes in the gut lumen, eliciting appropriate protective responses without causing tissue injury. Clearance of invading microbes and initiation of downstream inflammatory responses are central to this process and require proper function of the endolysosomal system.
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