Can birch pollen directly influence the IL-4/IL-4R interaction to modulate Th2 responses?

Lisa Pointner, Vanda Adamkova, Athanasios Bethanis, Swetlana Gerkhardt, Leopold Moelter, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, Stefanie Gilles and Lorenz Aglas

Abstract:
Birch pollen (BP) is a clinically relevant aeroallergen source affectingup to 16% of the European population. In predisposed individuals,BP exposure triggers Th2 immune responses that orchestrateallergic sensitization.1 The key cytokine for Th2 differentiation,interleukin-4(IL-4),binds with high affinity to IL-4Ralpha (IL-4Rα)to form the active type-IIL-4receptor with the common gamma (γC)chain. Downstream, induced GATA3 mainly regulates the expression of type 2 cytokines. Although the initiation of Th2 differentiationby pollen sources is still unclear, the reported adjuvant function ofspecific BP-derivedcompounds other than the major allergen2,3 suggeststhat Th2-inducingsignals originate from the BP source itself.
We, therefore, aimed to study the role of the IL-4/IL-4Rpathwayin BP-inducedTh2 responses by (i) investigating the ability of BPextracts (BPE) compared with other pollen species to bind IL-4RɑviaELISA, (ii) screening for latent IL-4Rɑligands by fractionating BPEvia size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and (iii) assessing associatedTh2 responses in vivo using IL-4reporter mice. Finally, (iv) thefunctional downstream signaling elicited by the interaction with theIL-4Rwas examined in pilot in vitro assays.

A video abstract can be found  here.

The open access article can be found  here.

Reviewed by Dirk-Schmidt-Arras

CONGRATULATIONS!