Formation of B and T cell subsets require the cannabinoid receptor CB2

A recent and surprising body of research has linked changes in immune function to biologic and therapeutic targeting of cannabinoid receptors, which prototypically respond to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol. The peripheral cannabinoid receptor CB2 is highly expressed in immune cell types (macrophages, dendritic cells, and B cells), and pharmacologically alters their cytokine production and responsiveness. Accordingly, cannabinoid agonists can powerfully alter susceptibility to certain microbial infections, atherosclerosis, and cancer immunotherapy. What is unknown is the physiologic role of natural levels of endocannabinoids and their receptors in normal immune homeostasis. G alpha i2-/- mice are deficient in the formation of certain B and T cell subsets and are susceptible to immune dysregulation, notably developing inflammatory bowel disease. A key issue is the identity of the Gi-coupled receptors relevant to this G alpha i2-signaling pathway. We find that mice deficient in CB2, the Gi-coupled peripheral endocannabinoid receptor, have profound deficiencies in splenic marginal zone, peritoneal B1a cells, splenic memory CD4(+) T cells, and intestinal natural killer cells and natural killer T cells. These findings partially phenocopy and extend the lymphocyte developmental disorder associated with the G alpha i2-/- genotype, and suggest that the endocannabinoid system is required for the formation of T and B cell subsets involved in immune homeostasis. This noncompensatable requirement for physiologic function of the endocannabinoid system is novel. Because levels of endocannabinoids are highly restricted microanatomically, local regulation of their production and receptor expression offers a new principle for regional immune homeostasis and disease susceptibility, and extends and refines the rationale for CB2-targeted immunotherapy in immune and inflammatory diseases.