Interleukin-21-Producing CD4(+) T Cells Promote Type 2 Immunity to House Dust Mites

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Coquet, Jonathan
  • Martijn J Schuijs
  • Mark J Smyth
  • Kim Deswarte
  • Rudi Beyaert
  • Harald Braun
  • Louis Boon
  • Gunilla B Karlsson Hedestam
  • Steven L Nutt
  • Hamida Hammad
  • Bart N Lambrecht

Asthma is a T helper 2 (Th2)-cell-mediated disease; however, recent findings implicate Th17 and innate lymphoid cells also in regulating airway inflammation. Herein, we have demonstrated profound interleukin-21 (IL-21) production after house dust mite (HDM)-driven asthma by using T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice reactive to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 1 and an IL-21GFP reporter mouse. IL-21-producing cells in the mediastinal lymph node (mLN) bore characteristics of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, whereas IL-21(+) cells in the lung did not express CXCR5 (a chemokine receptor expressed by Tfh cells) and were distinct from effector Th2 or Th17 cells. Il21r(-/-) mice developed reduced type 2 responses and the IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) enhanced Th2 cell function in a cell-intrinsic manner. Finally, administration of recombinant IL-21 and IL-25 synergistically promoted airway eosinophilia primarily via effects on CD4(+) lymphocytes. This highlights an important Th2-cell-amplifying function of IL-21-producing CD4(+) T cells in allergic airway inflammation.

Original languageEnglish
JournalImmunity
Volume43
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)318-30
Number of pages13
ISSN1074-7613
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Aug 2015

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

    Research areas

  • Animals, Antigens, Dermatophagoides/immunology, Arthropod Proteins/immunology, Asthma/immunology, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology, Cells, Cultured, Cysteine Endopeptidases/immunology, Eosinophilia/immunology, Eosinophils/drug effects, Immunity, Cellular, Interleukins/administration & dosage, Lung/immunology, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Pyroglyphidae/immunology, Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics, Receptors, CXCR5/metabolism, Receptors, Interleukin-21/administration & dosage, Th2 Cells/immunology

ID: 356968852