Scientists have pinpointed a specific molecular events that could explain allergic reactions to air pollution. These findings provide a new therapeutic candidate to treat asthma and related respiratory diseases.
Photos of cities darkened by pollution are becoming evermore common. These same cities are seeing a rise in cases of asthma and other respiratory ailments, marking a relationship between pollution and health costs. Nanoscopic particulates polluting the air enter the lungs to cause the allergic reactions. Which immune-related events in the lung lead to this response, however, are unclear.
"We found that particulates kill macrophages, which then go on to release interleukin-1α (IL-1α)", explains the first-of a new study published in Immunity that indicates IL-1α triggers a series of events that causes respiratory illnesses. The release of IL-1α in mice primed the lungs for inflammation when the mice were later exposed to an allergen. Author added, "Particulates that did not kill macrophages did not cause an allergic reaction."
However, the vulnerability of macrophages to particulates remains unclear, which is why understanding the events following IL-1α secretion may be key to prevention and treatment.
"IL-1α secretion was followed by the formation of iBALTs. iBALTs are frequently found in infected or inflamed lungs and in patients with asthma," said study lead. The increase in iBALTs led to an increase in IgE antibodies, which intensified the immune response. On the other hand, mutant mice that were insensitive to IL-1α did not produce iBALTs and reduced IgE responses.
The presence of iBALTs would suggest that a human population could remain susceptible to high levels of asthma attacks even on clear days, as the iBALTs could form on days of high pollution, but the patient could then be exposed to the allergen much later.
This finding suggested that iBALTs could prime the lungs to an allergic reaction, which is why senior author believes that iBALTs could make a promising therapeutic target to combat the rise of respiratory illnesses associated with air pollution. But first, "we must identify the molecular signals and key chemicals that form these iBALTs," author added.
http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(16)30482-4?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1074761316304824%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
Latest News
Abusive drugs hijack natura…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Mechanism of action of the…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Role of fat in rare neurolo…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
How protein synthesis in de…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Atlas of mRNA variants in d…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Other Top Stories
High-Throughput Assay for Malaria Transmission
Read more
microRNA Function During Virus Infection
Read more
A New Trick for Artificial Photosynthesis
Read more
Mechanism of fungal killing!
Read more
Tissue-specific protein profiles in sepsis
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Exploiting pancreatic cance…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Structure of antiviral drug…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Type-I-interferon-responsiv…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Selenium, diabetes, and the…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Long-term neuropsychologica…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar