Cell receptor has proclivity for T helper 9 cells, airway inflammation

July 29, 2012 in Immunology

A research team led by Xian Chang Li, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Transplantation Research Center, has shed light on how a population of lymphocytes, called CD4+ T cells, mature into various subsets of adult T helper cells.

In particular, the team uncovered that a particular molecule, known as OX40, is a powerful inducer of new T that make copious amounts of interleukin-9 (IL-9) (and therefore called TH9 cells) in vitro; such TH9 cells are responsible for ongoing inflammation in the airways in the lungs in vivo.

The study will be published online in on July 29, 2012.

In their studies, the researchers found that mice with hyper-active OX40 activities had signs of , particularly in tissues lining the airway. A high amount of cells—as much as 30 percent—in these tissues were mucin-producing cells. Mucin-producing cells produce gel-like secretions that, when combined with other secretions, can form mucus or saliva.

The results mirrored previous studies of mice who over expressed IL-9 in the lung airways. Results from additional experiments confirmed that OX40 triggers both TH9 cell and IL-9 production, thereby leading to airway inflammation.

"These findings may have broad impact on how to treat chronic inflammation, such as allergic inflammation and chronic allograft rejection after transplantation, since the inflammatory texture organized by TH9 cells tends to be different and ongoing." said Li.

In addition to this translational finding, Li and his team made strides in better understanding OX40's role in the molecular mechanisms of the pathway responsible for TH9 cell induction.

According to Li, the revelation that OX40 promotes TH9 cells through TRAF6 (a protein that mediates cell signaling) and the activation of a non-canonical NF-kB pathway will point to new opportunities in drug discovery and development in treatment of TH9-related diseases.

Journal reference: Nature Immunology search and more info website

Provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Immunology created 23 hours ago | popularity 4.7 / 5 (19) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Vitamin D could provide new and effective treatments for asthma

(Medical Xpress)—Scientists at King's College London have discovered that Vitamin D has the potential to significantly reduce the symptoms of asthma. The study, led by Professor Catherine Hawrylowicz from ...

Immunology created May 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Immune protein could stop diabetes in its tracks

Melbourne researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed.

Immunology created May 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Stem-cell-based strategy boosts immune system in mice

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, ...

Immunology created May 16, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Resistance to visceral leishmaniasis: New mechanisms involved

Researchers from CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and IRD have elucidated new molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to visceral leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic infection. They have shown that dectin-1 ...

Immunology created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Researchers find genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis

A paper recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and co-written by physicians and scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine finds that an important genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibros ...

Biomarkers discovered for inflammatory bowel disease

Using the Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR), University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified a number of biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which could help with earlier diagnosis and ...

Changing cancer's environment to halt its spread

By studying the roles two proteins, thrombospondin-1 and prosaposin, play in discouraging cancer metastasis, a trans-Atlantic research team has identified a five-amino acid fragment of prosaposin that significantly reduces ...

Post-approval TAVI registry shows high rates of device success at one year

One-year results from SOURCE XT – one of the largest, post-approval transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) registries to-date – reported today at EuroPCR 2013 show good clinical outcomes in routine clinical practice, ...

Biodegradable stent proves non-inferior to drug-eluting stent

The Orsiro stent, which is a novel stent platform eluting sirolimus from a biodegradable polymer, demonstrated non-inferiority to the Xience Prime everolimus-eluting stent for the primary angiographic endpoint of in-stent ...