Inhibitory function of NKT cells during early induction phase of nickel allergy.

Until now, metal allergies have been regarded as a Th1-type immune response.　However, because the contribution of a Th2-type immune response has been suggested by clinical findings, we previously examined the Th2-type immune response during the development of metal allergies using a GATA-3 transgenic (GATA-3 Tg) mouse model. As a result, a Th2-type immunization reaction was suggested to be involved in the early phase of metal allergies.

Release from Th1-type immune tolerance in spleen and enhanced production of IL-5 in Peyer's patch by cholera toxin B induce the glomerular deposition of IgA.

We examined the pathogenesis of glomerular damage in Th2 type-dependent GATA-3 transgenic (GATA-3 Tg) mice with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). GATA-3 Tg mice were immunized orally using OVA plus cholera toxin B (CTB), and measurement of the serum IgA antibody level and histopathological examination were performed. Marked increases in the serum levels of OVA-specific IgA antibody, IgA and IgG, C3 deposits analogous to those seen in IgAN, and expansion of the matrix in association with mesangial cell proliferation were observed.

GATA-3 regulates contact hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of allergic dermatitis.

Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is thought to be associated mainly with the activation of T helper (Th) type 1 cells. However, evidence also suggests that Th type 2 cells (Th2) and cytokines play roles in the development of CHS in humans. The present study examines the Th2 response during the development of CHS in response to 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB) in GATA-3-transgenic (GATA-3 Tg) mice.

IL-10 controls Th2-type cytokine production and eosinophil infiltration in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation.

Interleukin-10 was originally described as a factor that inhibits cytokine production by murine Th1 clones. Recent studies have since shown that IL-10 can also downregulate Th2 clones and their production of IL-4 and IL-5. Because of its immuno-suppressive properties, IL-10 has been suggested as a potential therapy for allergic inflammation and asthma.

Th2 immune response plays a critical role in the development of nickel-induced allergic contact dermatitis.

Background: The precise roles of T helper (Th)1-type and Th2-type cytokine responses in nickel (Ni)-induced allergic contact dermatitis have not yet been clearly defined. We investigated the involvement of Th2 cytokines in Ni-induced contact hypersensitivity reaction using GATA-3 transgenic (Tg) mice.

Methods: A Ni-titanium (Ti) alloy was implanted under the skin of GATA-3 Tg mice.

Involvement of GATA-3-dependent Th2 lymphocyte activation in airway hyperresponsiveness.

The pathophysiological characteristics of bronchial asthma consist of chronic inflammation of airways, airway hyperresponsiveness, and bronchoconstriction. Studies have shown that T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines produced by both T cells and mast cells in the airway contribute substantially to the initiation of inflammation in both experimental and human bronchial asthma. GATA-3 is a transcription factor essential to the production of Th2 cytokines by T lymphocytes.

Immune responses to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and tuberculin protein in GATA-3-transgenic mice.

GATA-3 appears to be key to the Th2 response. However, few in vivo experiments have examined the function of GATA-3 in Th1 and Th2 immune responses. We developed two lines of GATA-3-transgenic (Tg) mice harboring the SRalpha or lck promoters and examined the Th2 immune responses of mice infected with the intestinal nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and the Th1 responses with purified derivative of tuberculin (PPD) immunization.

Evidence of GATA-3-dependent Th2 commitment during the in vivo immune response.

The transcription factor GATA-3 has been shown to play an important role for the in vitro induction of T(h)2 cells. To clarify how the in vivo immune response is governed under GATA-3 function, we generated double-transgenic mice by crossing GATA-3 transgenic mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-specific TCR transgenic mice. After immunization with OVA, the double-transgenic mice showed increased expression of GATA-3 in antigen-reactive fresh CD4(+) T cells, and higher production of IL-5 and IL-13 in cultured spleen cells in the presence of cognate antigen without any polarizing conditions for T(h)2 cells.