Abstract
The pathogenesis of asthma reflects, in part, the activity of T cell cytokines. Murine models support participation of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and the IL-4 receptor in asthma. Selective neutralization of IL-13, a cytokine related to IL-4 that also binds to the α chain of the IL-4 receptor, ameliorated the asthma phenotype, including airways hyperresponsiveness, eosinophil recruitment, and mucus overproduction. Administration of either IL-13 or IL-4 conferred an asthma-like phenotype to nonimmunized T cell- deficient mice by an IL-4 receptor α chain-dependent pathway. This pathway may underlie the genetic associations of asthma with both the human 5q31 locus and the IL-4 receptor.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 2261-2263 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 282 |
Issue number | 5397 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 18 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General