The regulatoy mechanism of IL-5-producing group 2 innate lymphoid cells by short-chain fatty acid

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K19111
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental pathology
• Research Institution: Chiba University (2017); National Center for Global Health and Medicine (2016)
• Principal Investigator: Kudo Fujimi 千葉大学, 大学院医学研究院, 特任助教 (30726419)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ILC2 / IL-5 / 喘息 / 炎症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) and type 2 helper T (Th2) cells produce Th2 cytokines including IL-5 and play important roles in asthma pathogenesis. Cyclosporin A (CsA) is a well-known immunosuppressant that is used against steroid-resistant asthma. We studied the effects of CsA in allergen-induced lung inflammation in mice and found that CsA decreased the number of lung ILC2s and attenuated papain-induced activation of ILC2s accompanied with IL-5 expression. The ILC2 suppression mediated by CsA was not observed in culture or in lymphocyte-deficient Rag2－/－ mice. Thus, we propose a new suppressive effect of CsA, i.e., administration of CsA indirectly suppresses maintenance and activation of lung ILC2s in addition to direct suppression of T cell activation and cytokine production.

Free Research Field

免疫学