Inflammatory disorders such as asthma and eczema are overzealous immune responses by the body to otherwise innocuous environmental conditions. The protein TSLP is a potent activator of the allergic inflammatory response, and a new report by Flavius Martin and colleagues at Genentech Inc., San Francisco, has identified a role for another protein, OX40, in TSLP-induced allergic reactions in mice and monkeys. As indicated by the authors and Yui-Hsi Wang and Yong-Jun Liu from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, in an accompanying commentary, the results of this work point to the interaction between OX40 and its partner protein, OX40L, as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of allergic diseases.
In the study, blocking OX40/OX40L interactions reduced allergic responses in mice with TSLP-induced inflammation of the lungs or skin and in mice with chronic or acute asthma. In addition, the same approach reduced allergic responses in monkeys with dust-mite induced allergic asthma. The reduction in the severity of the allergic response was associated with a decrease in the generation of inflammatory cells and proteins, as well as the production of immune cells.
TITLE: In vivo blockade of OX40 ligand inhibits thymic stromal lymphopoietin driven atopic inflammation
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Flavius Martin
Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
Phone: (650) 225-2731; Fax: (650) 225-8221; E-mail: flavius@gene.com.
View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=33559
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: OX40-OX40L interactions: a promising therapeutic target for allergic diseases?
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Yong-Jun Liu
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
Phone: (713) 563-3203; Fax: (713) 563-3275; E-mail: yjliu@mdanderson.org
Yui-Hsi Wang
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
Phone: (713) 563-3306; Fax: (713) 563-3275; E-mail: yuiwang@mdanderson.org
View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=34182
Journal
Journal of Clinical Investigation