Lipids regulate peripheral serotonin release via gut CD1d

The crosstalk between the immune and neuroendocrine systems is critical for intestinal homeostasis and gut-brain communications. However, it remains unclear how immune cells participate in gut sensation of hormones and neurotransmitters release in response to environmental cues, such as self-lipids and microbial lipids. We show here that lipid-mediated engagement of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells with enterochromaffin (EC) cells, a subset of intestinal epithelial cells, promoted peripheral serotonin (5-HT) release via a CD1d-dependent manner, regulating gut motility and hemostasis. We also demonstrated that inhibitory sphingolipids from symbiotic microbe Bacteroides fragilis represses 5-HT release. Mechanistically, CD1d ligation on EC cells transduced a signal and restrained potassium conductance through activation of protein tyrosine kinase Pyk2, leading to calcium influx and 5-HT secretion. Together, our data reveal that by engaging with iNKT cells, gut chemosensory cells selectively perceive lipid antigens via CD1d to control 5-HT release, modulating intestinal and systemic homeostasis.