Sex differences in M2 polarization, chemokine and IL-4 receptors in monocytes and macrophages from asthmatics.

Jan 18, 2021

Contributor: Mireya Becerra-Díaz,Andrew D Lerner,Diana H Yu,Jeffrey P Thiboutot,Mark C Liu,Lonny B Yarmus,Sonali Bose,Nicola M Heller

Sex differences in M2 polarization, chemokine and IL-4 receptors in monocytes and macrophages from asthmatics.

Allergic asthma affects more women than men. It is mediated partially by IL-4/IL-13-driven polarization of monocyte-derived macrophages in the lung. We tested whether sex differences in asthma are due to differential IL-4 responsiveness and/or chemokine receptor expression in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages from healthy and allergic asthmatic men and women. We found female cells expressed M2 genes more robustly following IL-4 stimulation than male cells, as did cells from asthmatics than those from healthy controls. This likely resulted from increased expression ofγC, part of the type I IL-4 receptor, and reduced IL-4-induced SOCS1, a negative regulator of IL-4 signaling, in asthmatic compared to healthy macrophages. Monocytes from asthmatic women expressed more CX3CR1, which enhances macrophage survival. Our findings highlight how sex differences in IL-4 responsiveness and chemokine receptor expression may affect monocyte recruitment and macrophage polarization in asthma, potentially leading to new sex-specific therapies to manage the disease.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Author

admin

View all posts

About The Expert

Mireya Becerra-Díaz

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Andrew D Lerner

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Diana H Yu

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Jeffrey P Thiboutot

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Mark C Liu

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Lonny B Yarmus

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Sonali Bose

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Nicola M Heller

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. Electronic address: nheller@jhmi.edu.

References

PubMed