Ocular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Mucosal Immunol. 2011 Jul;4(4):397-408. doi: 10.1038/mi.2010.82. Epub 2010 Dec 22.
Although the effects of the interleukin 13 (IL-13) on goblet cell (GC) hyperplasia have been studied in the gut and respiratory tracts, its effect on regulating conjunctival GC has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to determine the major IL-13-producing cell type and the role of IL-13 in GC homeostasis in normal murine conjunctiva. Using isolating techniques, we identified natural killer (NK)/natural killer T (NKT) cells as the main producers of IL-13. We also observed that IL-13 knockout (KO) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 knockout (STAT6KO) mice had a lower number of periodic acid Schiff (PAS)+GCs. We observed that desiccating stress (DS) decreases NK population, GCs, and IL-13, whereas it increases interferon-γ (IFN-γ) mRNA in conjunctiva. Cyclosporine A treatment during DS maintained the number of NK/NKT cells in the conjunctiva, increased IL-13 mRNA in NK+ cells, and decreased IFN-γ and IL-17A mRNA transcripts in NK+ and NK- populations. C57BL/6 mice chronically depleted of NK/NKT cells, as well as NKT cell-deficient RAG1KO and CD1dKO mice, had fewer filled GCs than their wild-type counterparts. NK depletion in CD1dKO mice had no further effect on the number of PAS+ cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that NKT cells are major sources of IL-13 in the conjunctival mucosa that regulates GC homeostasis.
虽然白细胞介素 13(IL-13)对肠道和呼吸道中的杯状细胞(GC)增生的影响已经得到了研究,但它对调节结膜 GC 的作用尚未被探索。本研究的目的是确定正常小鼠结膜中主要产生 IL-13 的细胞类型和 IL-13 在 GC 动态平衡中的作用。我们使用分离技术鉴定出自然杀伤(NK)/自然杀伤 T(NKT)细胞是 IL-13 的主要产生细胞。我们还观察到,IL-13 敲除(KO)和信号转导和转录激活因子 6 敲除(STAT6KO)小鼠的过碘酸希夫(PAS)+GC 数量较少。我们观察到干燥应激(DS)减少 NK 群体、GC 和 IL-13,而增加结膜中的干扰素-γ(IFN-γ)mRNA。在 DS 期间用环孢素 A 治疗可维持结膜中的 NK/NKT 细胞数量,增加 NK 细胞中的 IL-13 mRNA,并减少 NK+和 NK-群体中的 IFN-γ和 IL-17A mRNA 转录物。慢性耗尽 NK/NKT 细胞的 C57BL/6 小鼠以及 NKT 细胞缺陷型 RAG1KO 和 CD1dKO 小鼠的填充 GC 数量少于其野生型对照。在 CD1dKO 小鼠中耗尽 NK 对 PAS+细胞的数量没有进一步影响。综上所述,这些发现表明 NKT 细胞是调节结膜 GC 动态平衡的结膜黏膜中 IL-13 的主要来源。