Associate Provost for Research Boston University Medical Campus
NIAID - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases	Research Resources

Abstract

Abstract: This competitive renewal application will continue to explore the role of IL-16 in CD4+ cell accumulation in human atopic asthma. In the previous grant period, the investigators found that IL-16 is the major lymphocyte chemoattractant released early after segmental airway antigen challenge; that the epithelium of atopic asthmatics preferentially expresses IL-16 mRNA and protein; and that the degree of epithelial expression of IL-16 correlates with the extent of CD4+ T cell accumulation and airway reactivity. They have recently observed that glucocorticoids inhibit IL-16 expression in epithelium and that IL-9, IL-13 and histamine induce IL-16 expression and secretion in human epithelial cells in vitro. The investigators propose that given IL-16's functions as a CD4+ T cell chemotactic factor, and its ability to inhibit T cell receptor mediated functions, it might function in the lung in asthma either as a pro-inflammatory or immuno-modulatory cytokine depending upon the type of local reaction. In this application, they hypothesize that airway epithelial IL-16 expression is up-regulated by Th2 cytokines and histamine and inhibited by glucocorticoids. Their aims are to: 1) identify the IL-9, IL-13, histamine and glucocorticoid responsive regulatory elements in the IL-16 promoter; and 2) determine the factors responsible for epithelial cell secretion of IL-16.

Thesaurus Terms:
asthma, chemoattractant, immunoregulation, lymphokine
atopy, cytokine receptor, dexamethasone, genetic regulatory element, glucocorticoid, helper T lymphocyte, histamine, interleukin 13, interleukin 9, respiratory epithelium, respiratory hypersensitivity
blood chemistry, bronchoscopy, clinical research, human subject, immunocytochemistry

Institution:	BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
	715 ALBANY ST, 560
	BOSTON, MA 021182394
Fiscal Year:	2004
Department:	MEDICINE
Project Start:	01-DEC-1994
Project End:	28-FEB-2005
ICD:	NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
IRG:	LBPA