Atopic dermatitis (AD) is aggravated and chronic by the interaction between skin epithelial cells and various immune cells. Hence it is urgent to develop upstream regulators that can control immune checkpoints. Korean researchers at Kyungpook National University noticed the high rate of positivity to house dust mite antigen (68.8%) in atopic patients in Korea. The vital role of IP-10 (Interferon-γ-Inducible Protein-10, CXCL10) in the pathogenesis of house dust mite-sensitized AD was revealed. This study appeared in the journal Allergy in August.

The researchers verified the function of IP-10 using the skin of patients with AD and various knock-out mice. In AD lesions, the expression level of IP-10 had a decisive effect on the typical clinical symptoms and signs of AD and directly modulated Th2-cell-mediated immunity, an important indicator of allergic diseases. As a result of this study, IP-10 was the first to reveal its role as a top regulator for treating AD, in addition to its role as a simple recruitment factor for type 2 inflammatory cells.

Prof. Kim said that "House dust mites activate several pathways at the same time due to the complexity of their antigens. Therefore it is not easy to control the mechanism." The results of this study clarify the importance of IP-10 as a factor that shows a specific response to house dust mites despite simultaneous antigenic stimulation and by identifying specific regulatory pathways and their roles. We also expect that our findings will provide a new therapeutic target for AD with house dust mite sensitization, Prof. Kim said.

   Production of IP-10 and its mechanism of action in house dust mite-sensitized atopic dermatitis.

[Reference] 

Choi YA. et al., (2023) “Interferon-γ-inducible protein 10 augments atopic dermatitis via amplifying Th2 immune response” Allergy. doi: 10.1111/all.15833. Online ahead of print.

[Main Author] 

Young-Ae Choi (Kyungpook National University), Yong Hyun Jang (Kyungpook National University), Sang-Hyun Kim (Kyungpook National University)

* Contact email : Professor Sang-Hyun Kim (shkim72@knu.ac.kr)