%0 Journal Article
%T Acanthamoeba profilin elicits allergic airway inflammation in mice
%A Dong Hee Kim
%A Hak Sun Yu
%A Hye Kyung Park
%A Se Bok Jang
%A Shin Ae Kang
%A So Myung Song
%A So Young Park
%J -
%D 2018
%R 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006979
%X 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¨C15 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
%K Acanthamoeba
%K Inflammation
%K Allergens
%K Proteases
%K Aspergillus
%K Pollen
%K Enzyme-linked immunoassays
%K Chemokines
%U https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006979