Perinatal Bacterial Exposure Contributes to IL-13 Aeroallergen Response

IL-13 regulates the immune response to inhaled antigens.

The large inhibitory effect of IL-13 blockers on the asthma phenotype prompted us to ask whether IL-13 would play a role in regulating the allergic immune response in addition to its documented effects on structural pulmonary cells. Because IL-13 does not interact with murine T or B cells, but with monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs), we examined the role of IL-13 in the activatio...

MAPK Regulation of IL-4/IL-13 Receptors Contributes to the Synergistic Increase in CCL11/Eotaxin-1 in Response to TGF-b1 and IL-13 in Human Airway Fibroblasts

MAPK regulation of IL-4/IL-13 receptors contributes to the synergistic increase in CCL11/eotaxin-1 in response to TGF-β1 and IL-13 in human airway fibroblasts.

CCL11/eotaxin-1 is a potent eosinophilic CC chemokine expressed by primary human fibroblasts. The combination of TGF-β1 and IL-13 synergistically increases CCL11 expression, but the mechanisms behind the synergy are unclear. To address this, human airway fibroblast cultures from normal and asthmatic subjects were exposed to IL-13 alone or TGF-β1 plus IL-13. Transcriptional (nuclear run-on) and ...

Aeroallergen-Induced Th2 Inflammation Endogenous and Exogenous IL-6 Inhibit

Perinatal Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Enhances Susceptibility to Viral and Secondary Bacterial Infections

Studies suggest childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) leads to increased incidence of infections of the lower respiratory tract. The objective of this study was to determine whether perinatal exposure to ETS increases the incidence, morbidity and severity of respiratory influenza infection and whether a secondary bacterial challenge at the peak of a pre-existing viral infectio...