Development of spontaneous airway changes consistent with human asthma in mice lacking T-bet

S Finotto, MF Neurath, JN Glickman, S Qin, HA Lehr… - Science, 2002 - science.org
S Finotto, MF Neurath, JN Glickman, S Qin, HA Lehr, FHY Green, K Ackerman, K Haley…
Science, 2002science.org
Human asthma is associated with airway infiltration by T helper 2 (TH2) lymphocytes. We
observed reduced expression of the TH1 transcription factor, T-bet, in T cells from airways of
patients with asthma compared with that in T cells from airways of nonasthmatic patients,
suggesting that loss of T-bet might be associated with asthma. Mice with a targeted deletion
of the T-bet gene and severe combined immunodeficient mice receiving CD4+ cells from T-
bet knockout mice spontaneously demonstrated multiple physiological and inflammatory …
Human asthma is associated with airway infiltration by T helper 2 (TH2) lymphocytes. We observed reduced expression of the TH1 transcription factor, T-bet, in T cells from airways of patients with asthma compared with that in T cells from airways of nonasthmatic patients, suggesting that loss of T-bet might be associated with asthma. Mice with a targeted deletion of the T-bet gene and severe combined immunodeficient mice receiving CD4+ cells from T-bet knockout mice spontaneously demonstrated multiple physiological and inflammatory features characteristic of asthma. Thus, T-bet deficiency, in the absence of allergen exposure, induces a murine phenotype reminiscent of both acute and chronic human asthma.
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