Spontaneous atopic dermatitis in mice expressing an inducible thymic stromal lymphopoietin transgene specifically in the skin

J Yoo, M Omori, D Gyarmati, B Zhou, T Aye… - The Journal of …, 2005 - rupress.org
J Yoo, M Omori, D Gyarmati, B Zhou, T Aye, A Brewer, MR Comeau, DJ Campbell
The Journal of experimental medicine, 2005rupress.org
The cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) has recently been implicated in the
pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) and other allergic diseases in humans. To further
characterize its role in this disease process, transgenic mice were generated that express a
keratinocyte-specific, tetracycline-inducible TSLP transgene. Skin-specific overexpression of
TSLP resulted in an AD-like phenotype, with the development of eczematous lesions
containing inflammatory dermal cellular infiltrates, a dramatic increase in Th2 CD4+ T cells …
The cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) and other allergic diseases in humans. To further characterize its role in this disease process, transgenic mice were generated that express a keratinocyte-specific, tetracycline-inducible TSLP transgene. Skin-specific overexpression of TSLP resulted in an AD-like phenotype, with the development of eczematous lesions containing inflammatory dermal cellular infiltrates, a dramatic increase in Th2 CD4+ T cells expressing cutaneous homing receptors, and elevated serum levels of IgE. These transgenic mice demonstrate that TSLP can initiate a cascade of allergic inflammation in the skin and provide a valuable animal model for future study of this common disease.
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