LAUSR

Significance Changes in the balance of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) can critically push anticancer immunity (mediated by natural killer (NK) cells) toward a tumor-permissive immune microenvironment (ILC2 or ILC3-mediated). ILCs develop from common ILC progenitors, but we and others have found previously defined NK cell-restricted progenitors (NKPs) still retain the ability to develop into other ILC lineages subject to tissue-specific cues. We delineate the existence of "aceNKPs" in murine bone marrow: NKG2A/C/E-expressing NKPs are the earliest hematopoietic precursors uniquely committed to become ILC1/NK cells with the capacity to further mature into group-1 ILCs capable of controlling tumor growth. Identification of aceNKPs is important for our understanding of the production of ILC1/NK cells and how they may be manipulated prior to maturation.