Acanthamoeba profilin elicits allergic airway inflammation in mice.

• Published in: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Main Authors: So Myung Song, Shin Ae Kang, Hye Kyung Park, Dong Hee Kim, So Young Park, Se Bok Jang, Hak Sun Yu
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018
• Subjects: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006979; https://doaj.org/article/f5f797b58b634a5da7edf648a4dbfe24

BACKGROUND:In previous studies, we suggested that Acanthamoeba is a new aero-allergen and that patients who showed positive results for the skin-prick test response to Acanthamoeba cross-reacted with several pollen allergens. Additionally, patients with common antibodies reacted to the 13-15 kDa Acanthamoeba unknown allergen. OBJECTIVE:We examined whether profilin of Acanthamoeba is a human airway allergic agent because of its molecular weight. METHODS:We expressed recombinant Ac-PF (rAc-PF) protein using an Escherichia coli expression system and evaluated whether Ac-PF is an airway allergic agent using an allergic airway inflammation animal model. RESULTS:Airway hyperresponsiveness was increased in rAc-PF-inoculated mice. The number of eosinophils and levels of Th2 cytokines, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were increased in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid of rAc-PF-treated mice. The lungs of the rAc-PF-treated mice group showed enhanced mucin production and metaplasia of lung epithelial cells and goblet cells. CONCLUSION:In this study, we demonstrated that rAc-PF may be an allergen in Acanthamoeba, but further studies needed to identify the mechanisms of allergenic reactions induced by Ac-PF.