Atopic dermatitis is a form of eczema that is caused by an inappropriate inflammatory response in the skin. Many children with atopic dermatitis also have food allergies, and skin contact with food allergens can make their atopic dermatitis worse. It is unclear why this occurs, but it has been suggested that immune cells known as T cells that are sensitized by exposure to food allergens in the gut are responsible. Raif Geha and colleagues, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, have now generated data in a mouse model of food allergen–induced atopic dermatitis that support this idea. Specifically, their data indicate that skin contact with food allergens can lead to the reprogramming of gut-homing T cells into skin-homing T cells that mediate allergic skin inflammation. These data have important implications for the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis in patients with food allergy.
TITLE: Epicutaneous challenge of orally immunized mice redirects antigen-specific gut-homing T cells to the skin
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Raif S. Geha
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Phone: 617.919.2482; Fax: 617.730.0528; E-mail: raif.geha@childrens.harvard.edu .
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/43586?key=ac0a2a02b9e4913fdcde
Journal of Clinical Investigation