title: Role of Interferon-λ in Allergic Asthma.
abstract: Type III interferons (IFNs), or IFN-λ, are known to have potent antiviral and antiproliferative activities. It inhibits viral replication and upregulates cytotoxic responses to virally infected cells. Besides these characteristics, IFN-λ also has additional activities in the immune system. In fact, it induces the proliferation of Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells mediated in part by dendritic cells and inhibit the production of IL-5 and IL-13 in vitro. Regulatory T cells and the Th2 cytokines like IL-5 and IL-13 play important roles in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma. In humans, there seems to be an inverse link between IFN-λ and the severity of allergic asthma and allergic asthma exacerbations. Asthmatic patients, without a detectable viral infection show an inverse correlation between IL-28 and IL-29 mRNA levels and severity of allergic responses in the airways. These additional features of IFN-λ that affect the adaptive immune system make it a potential immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of allergic asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pneumology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Susetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finotto
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000276:immunology; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000276:immunology; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000095022:Interferon Lambda
chemical_list: D007372:Interferons; D018793:Interleukin-13; D015848:Interleukin-5; D007378:Interleukins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C000624353:interferon-lambda, human; D000095022:Interferon Lambda; C508599:IL5 protein, human