SUMMARY Experimental IgE-mediated food allergy depends on intestinal anaphylaxis driven by interleukin (IL)-9. However, the primary cellular source of IL-9 and the mechanisms underlying the susceptibility to food-induced intestinal anaphylaxis remain unclear. Herein, we have reported the identification of multifunctional IL-9-producing mucosal mast cells (MMC9s) that can secrete prodigious amounts of IL-9 and IL-13 in response to IL-33, and mast cell protease-1 (MCPt-1) in response to antigen and IgE complex crosslinking, respectively. Repeated intragastric antigen challenge induced MMC9 development that required T cells, IL-4, and STAT6 transcription factor, but not IL-9 signals. Mice ablated of MMC9 induction failed to develop intestinal mastocytosis, which resulted in decreased food allergy symptoms that could be restored by adoptively transferred MMC9s. Finally, atopic patients that developed food allergy displayed increased intestinal expression of Il9 and MC-specific transcripts. Thus, the induction of MMC9s is a pivotal step to acquire the susceptibility to IgE-mediated food allergy.

Background Food-mediated allergic reactions have emerged as a major health problem. The underlying mechanisms that promote uncontrolled type-2 immune response to dietary allergens in the gastrointestinal tract remain elusive. Objective We investigated whether altering IL-25 signaling enhances or attenuates allergic responses to food allergens. Methods iIL-25Tg mice, which constitutively overexpress intestinal IL-25, and Il17rb−/− mice, in which the Il17rb gene expression is disrupted, were sensitized and gavage fed with ovalbumin (OVA). We assessed symptomatic characteristics of experimental food allergy, including incidence of diarrhea, incidence of hypothermia, intestinal TH2 immune response, and serum OVA-specific IgE and mast cell protease (MCPt)-1 production. Results Rapid induction of Il25 expression in the intestinal epithelium preceded the onset of anaphylactic response to ingested OVA antigen. iIL-25Tg mice were more prone, and Il17rb−/− were mice more resistant, to developing experimental food allergy. Resident intestinal type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) were identified as the major producers of IL-5 and IL-13 in response to IL-25. Reconstituting irradiated wild-type mice with Rora−/− or Il17rb−/− bone marrow (BM) resulted in a deficiency or dysfunction of the ILC2 compartment, respectively, and resistance to developing experimental food allergy. Repeated intragastric antigen challenge induced a significant increase of CD4+TH2 cells, which enhance IL-25-stimulated IL-13 production by ILC2 ex vivo and in vivo. Finally, reconstituted IL-13–deficient ILC2s had reduced capability to promote allergic inflammation, resulting in the increased resistance to experimental food allergy. Conclusion IL-25 and CD4+TH2 cells induced by ingested antigens enhance ILC2-derived IL-13 production, thereby promoting IgE-mediated experimental food allergy.

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Ischemia/reperfusion injury is associated with contractile dysfunction and increased cardiomyocyte death. Overexpression of the hematopoietic lineage substrate-1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) has been shown to protect from cellular injury but the function of endogenous HAX-1 remains obscure due to early lethality of the knockout mouse. Herein we generated a cardiac-specific and inducible HAX-1 deficient model, which uncovered an unexpected role of HAX-1 in regulation of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA2a) in ischemia/reperfusion injury. Although ablation of HAX-1 in the adult heart elicited no morphological alterations under non-stress conditions, it diminished contractile recovery and increased infarct size upon ischemia/reperfusion injury. These detrimental effects were associated with increased loss of SERCA2a. Enhanced SERCA2a degradation was not due to alterations in calpain and calpastatin levels or calpain activity. Conversely, HAX-1 overexpression improved contractile recovery and maintained SERCA2a levels. The regulatory effects of HAX-1 on SERCA2a degradation were observed at multiple levels, including intact hearts, isolated cardiomyocytes and sarcoplasmic reticulum microsomes. Mechanistically, HAX-1 ablation elicited increased production of reactive oxygen species at the sarco/endoplasic reticulum compartment, resulting in SERCA2a oxidation and a predisposition to its proteolysis. This effect may be mediated by NAPDH oxidase 4 (NOX4), a novel binding partner of HAX-1. Accordingly, NOX inhibition with apocynin abrogated the effects of HAX-1 ablation in hearts subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury. Taken together, our findings reveal a role of HAX-1 in the regulation of oxidative stress and SERCA2a degradation, implicating its importance in calcium homeostasis and cell survival pathways.

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