RESUMO
Individuals with one atopic disease are far more likely to develop a second. Approximately half of all atopic dermatitis (AD) patients subsequently develop asthma, particularly those with severe AD. This association, suggesting a role for AD as an entry point for subsequent allergic disease, is a phenomenon known as the "atopic march." Although the underlying cause of the atopic march remains unknown, recent evidence suggests a role for the cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). We have established a mouse model to determine whether TSLP plays a role in this phenomenon, and in this study show that mice exposed to the antigen ovalbumin (OVA) in the skin in the presence of TSLP develop severe airway inflammation when later challenged with the same antigen in the lung. Interestingly, neither TSLP production in the lung nor circulating TSLP is required to aggravate the asthma that was induced upon subsequent antigen challenge. However, CD4 T cells are required in the challenge phase of the response, as was challenge with the sensitizing antigen, demonstrating that the response was antigen specific. This study, which provides a clean mouse model to study human atopic march, indicates that skin-derived TSLP may represent an important factor that triggers progression from AD to asthma.
Assuntos
Asma/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Citocinas/imunologia , Dermatite Atópica/imunologia , Pneumonia/imunologia , Alérgenos/administração & dosagem , Alérgenos/imunologia , Animais , Asma/complicações , Células Cultivadas , Citocinas/administração & dosagem , Dermatite Atópica/complicações , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Humanos , Imunização , Injeções Intradérmicas , Pulmão/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Camundongos Transgênicos , Ovalbumina/administração & dosagem , Ovalbumina/imunologia , Pele/imunologia , Linfopoietina do Estroma do TimoRESUMO
The role of DNA methylation and of the maintenance DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1 in the epigenetic regulation of developmental stage- and cell lineage-specific gene expression in vivo is uncertain. This is addressed here through the generation of mice in which Dnmt1 was inactivated by Cre/loxP-mediated deletion at sequential stages of T cell development. Deletion of Dnmt1 in early double-negative thymocytes led to impaired survival of TCRalphabeta(+) cells and the generation of atypical CD8(+)TCRgammadelta(+) cells. Deletion of Dnmt1 in double-positive thymocytes impaired activation-induced proliferation but differentially enhanced cytokine mRNA expression by naive peripheral T cells. We conclude that Dnmt1 and DNA methylation are required for the proper expression of certain genes that define fate and determine function in T cells.