{"id":11113,"date":"2024-11-18T19:56:14","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T19:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=11113"},"modified":"2024-11-18T19:56:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T19:56:15","slug":"university-of-pittsburgh-researchers-unveil-how-house-dust-mites-trigger-allergic-asthma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/university-of-pittsburgh-researchers-unveil-how-house-dust-mites-trigger-allergic-asthma\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Pittsburgh Researchers Unveil How House Dust Mites Trigger Allergic Asthma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A groundbreaking study from the University of Pittsburgh reveals how house dust mites trigger allergic asthma by activating specific immune cells, offering hope for new therapeutic interventions<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New research from the University of Pittsburgh has elucidated the mechanism by which house dust mites, a prevalent allergen, trigger allergic asthma through immune system activation in mice. The study, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41590-024-01986-8\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Nature Immunology, provides vital insights into how seemingly harmless substances like dust mites, pet dander and pollen induce allergic reactions. This revelation promises to inform the development of new therapeutic strategies to manage and treat allergic asthma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We often think of the immune system as an army that fights the bad guys,&#8221; senior author Amanda C. Poholek, a director of the Health Sciences Sequencing Core and assistant professor in Pitt\u2019s Department of Immunology at the School of Medicine, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.upmc.com\/new-insights-reveal-how-house-dust-mites-trigger-allergic-asthma-by-activating-the-immune-system\/\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>. &#8220;And while that\u2019s true, most of the time your immune system is not encountering pathogens but dealing with dust and pollen that you breathe in, plants and animals that you eat and things that you touch in the environment. A big question that motivates my research is: How does our immune system know to respond to pathogens and not to self and the environment?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When functional, the immune system can tolerate harmless environmental substances \u2014 a state known as immune tolerance. However, when tolerance fails, benign allergens can activate T Helper 2 (Th2) cells, a type of immune cell that sparks inflammation in allergic asthma and other allergic conditions. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poholek emphasized the rising global prevalence of allergic asthma, a condition characterized by symptoms like coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing, which poses a significant burden on healthcare systems.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research team utilized a mouse model that mimics human exposure to allergens via inhalation of house dust mites, offering a more accurate representation compared to previous methods involving under-the-skin injections. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leveraging advanced tools to track Th2 cells and monitor their activation, the researchers uncovered a critical molecular pathway involving the protein BLIMP1, vital for generating Th2 cells in the lymph node. These cells subsequently migrate to the lungs, exacerbating asthma symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study further identified two pivotal cytokines, IL2 and IL10, necessary for BLIMP1 expression. Contrary to prior beliefs, IL10, typically known for its anti-inflammatory properties, was found to promote inflammation in this context. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;This finding opens that door to therapeutic options targeting IL10, which hadn\u2019t previously been considered, particularly for newly diagnosed patients,&#8221; Poholek added.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The research also revealed unexpected hotspots of IL2 activity within lymph nodes. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;IL2 is a very prominent cytokine, so we expected that it would be dispersed throughout the lymph node,&#8221; added Poholek. &#8220;Instead, we discovered that IL2 was localized to certain regions. Now, we have a lot more work to figure out how these regions form and whether disrupting these regions could disrupt the formation of Th2 cells, halting allergic asthma.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The collaboration continues with colleagues from Pitt\u2019s Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, investigating the role of IL2 and IL10 in human lung tissues to further explore potential new treatment avenues for allergic asthma.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research from the University of Pittsburgh has elucidated the mechanism by which house dust mites, a prevalent allergen, trigger allergic asthma through immune system activation in mice. The study, recently published in Nature Immunology, provides vital insights into how seemingly harmless substances like dust mites, pet dander and pollen induce allergic reactions. This revelation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"New research from the University of Pittsburgh has elucidated the mechanism by which house dust mites, a prevalent allergen, trigger allergic asthma through immune system activation in mice. The study, recently published in Nature Immunology, provides vital insights into how seemingly harmless substances like dust mites, pet dander and pollen induce allergic reactions. This revelation&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11113"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11137,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11113\/revisions\/11137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}