title: Interleukin-13 signaling and its role in asthma.
abstract: Asthma affects nearly 300 million people worldwide. The majority respond to inhaled corticosteroid treatment with or without beta-adrenergic agonists. However, a subset of 5 to 10% with severe asthma do not respond optimally to these medications. Different phenotypes of asthma may explain why current therapies show limited benefits in subgroups of patients. Interleukin-13 is implicated as a central regulator in IgE synthesis, mucus hypersecretion, airway hyperresponsiveness, and fibrosis. Promising research suggests that the interleukin-13 pathway may be an important target in the treatment of the different asthma phenotypes.
authors.affiliation: From the 1Department of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Penn State Hershey Medical Center MCH0401, Hershey, PA; 2University Distinguished Health Professor, Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics & Public Health; Director, Division of Allergy & Immunology, Joy McCann Culverhouse Chair in Allergy & Immunology; World Allergy Organization President; University of South Florida College of Medicine University of South Florida; James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Department of A/I (111D), Tampa, FL.
authors.forename: Efren L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rael
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lockey