title: Interleukin-20 promotes airway remodeling in asthma.
abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that interleukin-20 (IL-20) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and it has been implicated in psoriasis, lupus nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and ulcerative colitis. Little is known about the effects of IL-20 in airway remodeling in asthma. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the function of IL-20 in airway remodeling in asthma. To identify the expression of IL-20 and its receptor, IL-20R1/IL-20R2, in the airway epithelium in bronchial tissues, bronchial biopsy specimens were collected from patients and mice with asthma and healthy subjects and stained with specific antibodies. To characterize the effects of IL-20 in asthmatic airway remodeling, we silenced and stimulated IL-20 in cell lines isolated from mice by shRNA and recombinant protein approaches, respectively, and detected the expression of α-SMA and FN-1 by Western blot analysis. First, overexpression of IL-20 and its receptor, IL-20R1/IL-20R2, was detected in the airway epithelium collected from patients and mice with asthma. Second, IL-20 increased the expression of fibronectin-1 and α-SMA, and silencing of IL-20 in mouse lung epithelial (MLE)-12 cells decreased the expression of fibronectin-1 and α-SMA. IL-20 may be a critical cytokine in airway remodeling in asthma. This study indicates that targeting IL-20 and/or its receptors may be a new therapeutic strategy for asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, #107, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yuguo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Junqing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Guicheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Junfei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056151:Airway Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007378:Interleukins; C422042:interleukin 20