Hayakawa Hiroko, Hayakawa Morisada, Kume Akihiro, Tominaga Shin-ichi
Department of Biochemistry, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.
J Biol Chem. 2007 Sep 7;282(36):26369-80. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M704916200. Epub 2007 Jul 10.
The ST2 gene produces a soluble secreted form and a transmembrane form, referred to as soluble ST2 and ST2L, respectively. A recent study has reported that interleukin (IL)-33 is a specific ligand of ST2L and induces production of T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines. Although soluble ST2 is highly produced in sera of asthmatic patients and plays a critical role for production of Th2 cytokines, the function of soluble ST2 in relation to IL-33 signaling remains unclear. Here we show antagonistic effects of soluble ST2 on IL-33 signaling using a murine thymoma EL-4 cells stably expressing ST2L and a murine model of asthma. Soluble ST2 directly bound to IL-33 and suppressed activation of NF-kappaB in EL-4 cells stably expressing ST2L, suggesting that the complex of soluble ST2 and IL-33 fails to bind to ST2L. In a murine model of asthma, pretreatment with soluble ST2 reduced production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 from IL-33-stimulated splenocytes. These results indicate that soluble ST2 acts as a negative regulator of Th2 cytokine production by the IL-33 signaling. Our study provides a molecular mechanism wherein soluble ST2 modulates the biological activity of IL-33 in allergic airway inflammation.
ST2基因产生一种可溶性分泌形式和一种跨膜形式,分别称为可溶性ST2和ST2L。最近一项研究报道,白细胞介素(IL)-33是ST2L的特异性配体,并诱导2型辅助性T细胞(Th2)细胞因子的产生。尽管可溶性ST2在哮喘患者血清中大量产生,且对Th2细胞因子的产生起关键作用,但可溶性ST2在IL-33信号传导方面的功能仍不清楚。在此,我们使用稳定表达ST2L的小鼠胸腺瘤EL-4细胞和哮喘小鼠模型,展示了可溶性ST2对IL-33信号传导的拮抗作用。可溶性ST2直接与IL-33结合,并抑制稳定表达ST2L的EL-4细胞中NF-κB的激活,这表明可溶性ST2与IL-33的复合物无法与ST2L结合。在哮喘小鼠模型中,用可溶性ST2预处理可减少IL-33刺激的脾细胞产生IL-4、IL-5和IL-13。这些结果表明,可溶性ST2作为IL-33信号传导介导的Th2细胞因子产生的负调节因子。我们的研究提供了一种分子机制,其中可溶性ST2在过敏性气道炎症中调节IL-33的生物学活性。