Graphene oxide elicits microbiome-dependent type 2 immune responses via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

The gut microbiome produces metabolites that interact with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a key regulator of immune homoeostasis in the gut 1 , 2 . Here we show that oral exposure to graphene oxide (GO) modulates the composition of the gut microbiome in adult zebrafish, with significant differences in wild-type versus ahr2 -deficient animals. Furthermore, GO was found to elicit AhR-dependent induction of cyp1a and homing of lck + cells to the gut in germ-free zebrafish larvae when combined with the short-chain fatty acid butyrate. To obtain further insights into the immune responses to GO, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to profile cells from whole germ-free embryos as well as cells enriched for lck . These studies provided evidence for the existence of innate lymphoid cell (ILC)-like cells 3 in germ-free zebrafish. Moreover, GO endowed with a ‘corona’ of microbial butyrate triggered the induction of ILC2-like cells with attributes of regulatory cells. Taken together, this study shows that a nanomaterial can influence the crosstalk between the microbiome and immune system in an AhR-dependent manner.