Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, and Th2 cells play an important role in asthma. WDFY4 (WDFY family member 4) is a susceptibility gene in several autoimmune diseases.
Objective: In this study, the roles of WDFY4 in Th2 cell differentiation and Th2-dependent asthma were investigated.
Methods: Naïve CD4+ T cells were isolated from wild-type and WDFY4-deficient mice and induced to differentiate in vitro. Subsequently, a mouse model of asthma was established by sensitization with ovalbumin.
Results: Study results showed that WDFY4 deficiency could promote the differentiation of Th2 cells and the production of Th2 cytokines. WDFY4-deficient asthmatic mice showed higher levels of Th2 cytokines in the lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid than wild-type mice. Moreover, infiltration of inflammatory cells, hyperplasia of goblet cells, production of mucus, and deposition of collagen were enhanced in WDFY4-deficient asthmatic mice.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the pivotal role of WDFY4 in the pathogenesis of asthma and in Th2 cell differentiation.
Keywords: Asthma; Th2 cell; WDFY4.
© 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.