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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Analysis of Pulmonary Dendritic Cell Maturation and Migration during Allergic Airway Inflammation
Published on: July 23, 2012
TFEB regulates dendritic cell antigen presentation to modulate immune balance in asthma
JinYing Xiang1, Bo Liu2, Yan Li1
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Stem Cell Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation base of Child development and Critical Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 136, Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong Dis, 400014, Chongqing, PR China.
Objective:
Asthma stands as one of the most prevalent chronic respiratory conditions in children, with its pathogenesis tied to the actived antigen presentation by dendritic cells (DCs) and the imbalance within T cell subgroups. This study seeks to investigate the role of the transcription factor EB (TFEB) in modulating the antigen presentation process of DCs and its impact on the differentiation of T cell subgroups.
Methods:
Bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs) were activated using house dust mites (HDM) and underwent RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to pinpoint differentially expressed genes. TFEB mRNA expression levels were assessed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of both healthy children and those diagnosed with asthma. In an asthma mouse model induced by HDM, the TFEB expression in lung tissue DCs was evaluated. Further experiments involved LV-shTFEB BMDCs co-cultured with T cells to explore the influence of TFEB on DCs' antigen presentation, T cell subset differentiation, and cytokine production.
Results:
Transcriptomic sequencing identified TFEB as a significantly differentially expressed gene associated with immune system pathways and antigen presentation. Notably, TFEB expression showed a significant increase in the PBMCs of children diagnosed with asthma compared to healthy counterparts. Moreover, TFEB exhibited heightened expression in lung tissue DCs of HDM-induced asthmatic mice and HDM-stimulated BMDCs. Silencing TFEB resulted in the downregulation of MHC II, CD80, CD86, and CD40 on DCs. This action reinstated the equilibrium among Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg cell subgroups, suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-17, while augmenting the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.
Conclusion:
TFEB might have a vital role in asthma's development by impacting the antigen presentation of DCs, regulating T cell subgroup differentiation, and influencing cytokine secretion. Its involvement could be pivotal in rebalancing the immune system in asthma. These research findings could potentially unveil novel therapeutic avenues for treating asthma.
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