Requirement for the chemokine receptor CCR6 in allergic pulmonary inflammation

NW Lukacs, DM Prosser, M Wiekowski… - The Journal of …, 2001 - rupress.org
NW Lukacs, DM Prosser, M Wiekowski, SA Lira, DN Cook
The Journal of experimental medicine, 2001rupress.org
Allergic asthmatic responses in the airway are associated with airway hyperreactivity,
eosinophil accumulation in the lung, and cytokine production by allergen-specific, T helper
cell type 2 (Th2) lymphocytes. Here, we show that in a cockroach antigen (CA) model of
allergic pulmonary inflammation, the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3α
is expressed in the lung within hours of allergen challenge. To determine the biologic
relevance of this expression, mice lacking CCR6, the only known receptor for MIP-3α, were …
Allergic asthmatic responses in the airway are associated with airway hyperreactivity, eosinophil accumulation in the lung, and cytokine production by allergen-specific, T helper cell type 2 (Th2) lymphocytes. Here, we show that in a cockroach antigen (CA) model of allergic pulmonary inflammation, the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3α is expressed in the lung within hours of allergen challenge. To determine the biologic relevance of this expression, mice lacking CCR6, the only known receptor for MIP-3α, were studied for their response to CA. CCR6-deficient mice were immunized to the same extent as their wild-type counterparts, as judged by cytokine production in antigen-challenged lymphocytes. However, compared with CA-challenged wild-type mice, challenged CCR6-deficient mice had reduced airway resistance, fewer eosinophils around the airway, lower levels of interleukin 5 in the lung, and reduced serum levels of immunoglobulin E. Together, these data demonstrate that MIP-3α and CCR6 function in allergic pulmonary responses and suggest that these molecules might represent novel therapeutic targets for treatment of asthma.
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