The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 15, 2011
Filed:
Nov. 21, 2006
Robert J. Freishtat, Potomac, MD (US);
Robert J. Freishtat, Potomac, MD (US);
Children's Research Institute, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
We previously reported that NKG2A, a key inhibitory ligand for HLA-E, is expressed on activated TH2, but not TH1, cells. Here we measured cytokine expression in ex vivo TH2 cells and in a mouse model of asthma upon activation with antiCD3/28 and challenge with an NKG2A-specific agonist. We show that signaling through NKG2A modulates Th2 cell effector function. This new molecular pathway data provides a novel explanation and treatment for respiratory virus-associated asthma. RSV and hMPV suppress IFN-γ and HLA-E expression and therefore decrease NKG2A signaling in activated TH2 cells. This results in a relatively robust Th2 response and an unfavorable shift in Th1/Th2 balance. The data presented here suggest that increasing signaling via the NKG2A receptor suppresses Th2 effector function and could positively impact Th1/Th2 balance in asthma.