Ptaschinski Catherine, Hrycaj Steven M, Schaller Matthew A, Wellik Deneen M, Lukacs Nicholas W
Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; and
Division of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
J Immunol. 2017 Jul 15;199(2):501-509. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601826. Epub 2017 Jun 2.
Allergic asthma is a significant health burden in western countries, and continues to increase in prevalence. Th2 cells contribute to the development of disease through release of the cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, resulting in increased airway eosinophils and mucus hypersecretion. The molecular mechanisms behind the disease pathology remain largely unknown. In this study we investigated a potential regulatory role for the gene family, , , and , genes known to be important in lung development within mesenchymal cell populations. We found that -mutant mice show exacerbated pathology compared with wild-type controls in a chronic allergen model, with an increased Th2 response and exacerbated lung tissue pathology. Bone marrow chimera experiments indicated that the observed enhanced pathology was mediated by immune cell function independent of mesenchymal cell Hox5 family function. Examination of T cells grown in Th2 polarizing conditions showed increased proliferation, enhanced expression, and elevated production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in -deficient T cells compared with wild-type controls. Overexpression of FLAG-tagged HOX5 proteins in Jurkat cells demonstrated HOX5 binding to the locus and decreased and IL-4 expression, supporting a role for HOX5 proteins in direct transcriptional control of Th2 development. These results reveal a novel role for genes as developmental regulators of Th2 immune cell function that demonstrates a redeployment of mesenchyme-associated developmental genes.
过敏性哮喘在西方国家是一项重大的健康负担,且其患病率持续上升。辅助性T细胞2(Th2)通过释放细胞因子白细胞介素-4(IL-4)、白细胞介素-5(IL-5)和白细胞介素-13(IL-13)促进疾病发展,导致气道嗜酸性粒细胞增多和黏液分泌亢进。该疾病病理背后的分子机制在很大程度上仍不清楚。在本研究中,我们调查了 基因家族( 、 和 基因,已知它们在间充质细胞群体的肺发育中起重要作用)的潜在调节作用。我们发现,在慢性过敏原模型中,与野生型对照相比, 突变小鼠的病理状况加剧,Th2反应增强,肺组织病理恶化。骨髓嵌合体实验表明,观察到的病理增强是由免疫细胞功能介导的,与间充质细胞Hox5家族功能无关。对在Th2极化条件下生长的T细胞进行检测发现,与野生型对照相比, 缺陷型T细胞的增殖增加、 表达增强,且IL-4、IL-5和IL-13的产生增加。在人急性T淋巴细胞白血病细胞(Jurkat细胞)中过表达带有FLAG标签的HOX5蛋白,证明HOX5与 基因座结合,并降低了 和IL-4的表达,支持HOX5蛋白在Th2发育的直接转录调控中发挥作用。这些结果揭示了 基因作为Th2免疫细胞功能的发育调节因子的新作用,表明间充质相关发育基因的重新部署。