Helper innate lymphoid cells (ILC) play important functions in
immunity and tissue
homeostasis, but their development remains poorly understood. In this study, the inventors investigated the precise function of the
transcription factor NFIL3, which they established as the earliest requirement during ILC development in mouse
bone marrow. Using NFIL3 retroviral
ectopic expression in all-lymphoid progenitors, they showed that NFIL3 triggers a developmental process that recapitulates
in vitro natural ILC development, in the absence of any other instructive
signal. The present invention relates to an
in vitro method for obtaining innate lymphoid precursors cells, said method comprising the step of i) culturing hematopoietic precursors cells in an appropriate culture medium, and ii) manipulating the said hematopoietic precursors cells to increase the expression or function of the Nuclear Factor
Interleukin (3) Regulated (NFIL3).