| First Author | Tumes D | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | J Allergy Clin Immunol | Volume | 144 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 549-560.e10 |
| PubMed ID | 30851295 | Mgi Jnum | J:292587 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6445113 | Doi | 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.02.024 |
| Citation | Tumes D, et al. (2019) Ezh2 controls development of natural killer T cells, which cause spontaneous asthma-like pathology. J Allergy Clin Immunol 144(2):549-560.e10 |
| abstractText | BACKGROUND: Natural killer T (NKT) cells express a T-cell receptor that recognizes endogenous and environmental glycolipid antigens. Several subsets of NKT cells have been identified, including IFN-gamma-producing NKT1 cells, IL-4-producing NKT2 cells, and IL-17-producing NKT17 cells. However, little is known about the factors that regulate their differentiation and respective functions within the immune system. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether the polycomb repressive complex 2 protein enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) restrains pathogenicity of NKT cells in the context of asthma-like lung disease. METHODS: Numbers of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) 1, iNKT2, and iNKT17 cells and tissue distribution, cytokine production, lymphoid tissue localization, and transcriptional profiles of iNKT cells from wild-type and Ezh2 knockout (KO) iNKT mice were determined. The contribution of NKT cells to development of spontaneous and house dust mite-induced airways pathology, including airways hyperreactivity (AHR) to methacholine, was also assessed in wild-type, Ezh2 KO, and Ezh2 KO mice lacking NKT cells. RESULTS: Ezh2 restrains development of pathogenic NKT cells, which induce spontaneous asthma-like disease in mice. Deletion of Ezh2 increased production of IL-4 and IL-13 and induced spontaneous AHR, lung inflammation, mucus production, and IgE. Increased IL-4 and IL-13 levels, AHR, lung inflammation, and IgE levels were all dependent on iNKT cells. In house dust mite-exposed animals Ezh2 KO resulted in enhanced AHR that was also dependent on iNKT cells. CONCLUSION: Ezh2 is a central regulator of iNKT pathogenicity and suppresses the ability of iNKT cells to induce asthma-like pathology. |
