Project description:High numbers of goblet cells in airways contribute to the mucus obstruction characteristic of asthmatic airways. Allergen challenged mice exhibit robust expression of goblet cells within airway surface epithelium. This study looks at the temporal analysis of IL-13 exposed murine airways to elucidate pathways that result in differentiation of airway epithelial cells to goblet cells.
Project description:Deletion of the gene encoding Foxa2, a winged helix transcription factor selectively expressed in respiratory epithelial cells, caused spontaneous pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation and goblet cell metaplasia. Loss of Foxa2 induced the recruitment and activation of myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and Th2 cells in the lung, and was associated with the increased production of T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines and chemokines. mRNA microarray analysis demonstrated that deletion of Foxa2 induced the expression of a number of mRNAs regulating pulmonary dendritic cell activation, Th2 mediated inflammation, and goblet cell differentiation. The spontaneous pulmonary inflammation and goblet cell metaplasia caused by loss of Foxa2 was inhibited by treatment of newborn Foxa2â??/â?? mice with monoclonal IL-4Ralpha antibody. Expression of Foxa2 in non-ciliated secretory cells (Clara cells) in vivo inhibited goblet cell differentiation induced by pulmonary allergen exposure. The respiratory epithelium plays a central role in the regulation of Th2-mediated inflammation and innate immunity in the developing lung in a process regulated by Foxa2. To investigate the role of Foxa2 and its downstream targets associated with the Th2 inflammation and goblet cell hyperplasia, RNAs were isolated from the lungs of Foxa2-/- and control littermates at PN15. Lung cRNA was hybridized to the murine genome MOE430 V2 chips.
