transforming-growth-factor-beta and Job-Syndrome

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a connective tissue disorder caused by monoallelic mutations in TGFBR1 and TGFBR2, which encode for subunits of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) receptor. Affected patients are identified by vascular aneurysms with tortuosity and distinct morphological presentations similar to Marfan syndrome; however, an additional predisposition towards asthma and allergy has recently been found. We describe two patients with a novel missense mutation in TGFBR1 presenting with highly elevated levels of IgE and severe eczema similar to autosomal-dominant Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES). Mild allergic manifestations with normal up to moderately increased IgE were observed in 3 out of 6 additional LDS patients. A comparison of this cohort with 4 HIES patients illustrates the significant overlap of both syndromes including eczema and elevated IgE as well as skeletal and connective tissue manifestations.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Child; Child, Preschool; Connective Tissue Diseases; Cytokines; Eczema; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin E; Job Syndrome; Loeys-Dietz Syndrome; Middle Aged; Mutation, Missense; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; STAT3 Transcription Factor; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Mucosal tolerance prevents pathological reactions against environmental and food antigens, and its failure results in exacerbated inflammation typical of allergies and asthma. One of the proposed mechanisms of oral tolerance is the induction of Tregs. Using a mouse model of hyper-IgE and asthma, we found that oral tolerance could be effectively induced in the absence of naturally occurring thymus-derived Tregs. Oral antigen administration prior to i.p. immunization prevented effector/memory Th2 cell development, germinal center formation, class switching to IgE, and lung inflammation. Oral exposure to antigen induced development of antigen-specific CD4CD25Foxp3CD45RB cells that were anergic and displayed suppressive activity in vivo and in vitro. Oral tolerance to the Th2 allergic response was in large part dependent on TGF-beta and independent of IL-10. Interestingly, Tregs were also induced by single i.p. immunization with antigen and adjuvant. However, unlike oral administration of antigen, which induced Tregs but not effector T cells, i.p. immunization led to the simultaneous induction of Tregs and effector Th2 cells displaying the same antigen specificity.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antigens; Asthma; Base Sequence; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Disease Models, Animal; DNA, Complementary; Immune Tolerance; Immunity, Mucosal; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Job Syndrome; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Knockout; Neutralization Tests; Ovalbumin; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; T-Lymphocytes; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES) is a primary immunodeficiency disease characterized by recurrent infections and marked immunoglobulin (Ig)E elevation. To assess the proper T-cell defects of HIES, the cytokine profile of naturally activated T cells was compared between HIES, atopic dermatitis and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). Intracellular flow cytometric analysis after in vitro stimulation showed no difference in the proportion of interferon (IFN)gamma- or interleukin 4 (IL-4)-producing T cells among these diseases. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the cytokine genes was performed using circulating highly fractionated HLA-DR+ and HLA-DR- T cells. The IFNgamma/IL-4 or IFNgamma/IL-10 ratios were lower in HLA-DR+ T cells of HIES than in CGD (P = 0.0106, 0.0445), but did not differ between HIES and atopy. The transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta)/IL-4 ratio in HLA-DR+ T cells of HIES was lower than that of atopy (0.0106) or CGD (0.0062). The TGFbeta/IL-4 ratio in HLA-DR- T cells of HIES was also lower than that of atopy (0.0285). Stepwise logistic regression analysis identified TGFbeta/IL-4 ratios in HLA-DR+ (0.0001) or HLA-DR- (0.0086) T cells as the most powerful parameters to distinguish HIES from atopy and/or CGD. Serum IgE levels negatively correlated with IFNgamma/IL-4 (0.0108), IFNgamma/IL-10 (0.0254), or TGFbeta/IL-4 (0.0163) ratios in HLA-DR+, but not HLA-DR-, T cells. These results suggested that the in vivo activated T cells of HIES did not sufficiently express the IFNgamma and TGFbeta genes, which could affect IL-4-dependent IgE production. The reduced TGFbeta expression may involve the indigenous T-cell defects of HIES.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Dermatitis, Atopic; Female; Gene Expression; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic; Humans; Immunoglobulin E; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-4; Job Syndrome; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Statistics, Nonparametric; T-Lymphocytes; Transforming Growth Factor beta