ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Front. Immunol., 22 August 2013 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00246
Activin A inhibits antigen-induced allergy in murine epicutaneous sensitization
- 1Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Service of Dermatology and Venereology, Beaumont Hospital, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 2Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 3Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Activin A, a member of the TGFβ superfamily, is involved in physiological processes such as cell differentiation, tissue homeostasis, wound healing, reproduction, and in pathological conditions, such as fibrosis, cancer, and asthma. Activin enhances mast cell maturation, as well as regulatory T-cell and Langerhans cell differentiation. In this study we investigated the potential role of activin in epicutaneous sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA), notably with respect to its effect on known Th2-polarization. For this purpose, transgenic mice overexpressing activin in keratinocytes and their wild-type (WT) controls were sensitized epicutaneously with OVA. Skin biopsies were analyzed with regard to histopathological features and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory and Th1/Th2 cytokines, and Ig levels were measured in the serum. Unexpectedly, activin overexpressing animals were protected from Th2-cytokine expression and induction of OVA-specific IgE levels compared to WT animals. On the other hand, transgenic mice were more susceptible to inflammation compared to WT littermates after tape-stripping and saline (vehicle) or OVA application, as shown by increased pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels and neutrophil accumulation at the site of the treatment. We conclude that activin protects from antigen-induced cutaneous Th2-polarization through modulation of the immune response. These findings highlight the role of activin in cutaneous sensitization, allergy, and in skin homeostasis.
Keywords: activin, epicutaneous sensitization, transgenic mice, inflammation, atopy
Citation: Kypriotou M, Rivero D, Haller S, Mariotto A, Huber M, Acha-Orbea H, Werner S and Hohl D (2013) Activin A inhibits antigen-induced allergy in murine epicutaneous sensitization. Front. Immunol. 4:246. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00246
Received: 04 May 2013; Accepted: 07 August 2013;
Published online: 22 August 2013.
Published online: 22 August 2013.
Edited by:
Heiko Mühl, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
Reviewed by:
Ralf J. Ludwig, University of Lübeck, GermanyMiriam Wittmann, University of Leeds, UK
George Bougharios, University of Oxford, UK
Copyright: © 2013 Kypriotou, Rivero, Haller, Mariotto, Huber, Acha-Orbea, Werner and Hohl. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Daniel Hohl, Service of Dermatology and Venereology, Beaumont Hospital, CHUV, 04-437, Beaumont Avenue 29, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland e-mail: daniel.hohl@chuv.ch
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