DUSP14 attenuates airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in allergic asthma by regulating TAK1 activity

Allergic asthma is characterized by persistent chronic airway inflammation, leading to mucus hypersecretion and airway hyperresponsiveness. Dual-specificity phosphatase 14 (DUSP14), a member of the DUSP family, is a key regulator in various biological processes. However, the function of DUSP14 in allergic asthma remains to be elucidated. In this study, we aim to explore the function and mechanism of DUSP14 in asthma-related airway inflammation. In an ovalbumin (OVA) asthma mouse model, DUSP14 was found to be significantly diminished. DUSP14 overexpression relieved airway inflammation and attenuated airway mucus production. In vitro, overexpression of DUSP14 attenuated IL-13-induced cellular inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Afterwards, we used the co-immunoprecipitation assay to confirm that DUSP14 interacted with TAK1. DUSP14 overexpression restrained the activation of TAK1 and NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings clearly showed that DUSP14 could alleviate airway inflammation by inhibiting TAK1 activity and NF-κB signaling pathway, positioning the DUSP14-TAK1-NF-κB regulatory axis as a potential therapeutic target for allergic asthma.