The negative-feedback regulation of the IL-13 signal by the IL-13 receptor α2 chain in bronchial epithelial cells

Abstract Bronchial asthma is a complex disease characterized by airway inflammation involving Th2 cytokines. Among Th2 cytokines, the significance of IL-13 in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma has recently emerged. Particularly, the direct action of IL-13 on bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) is critical for generation of airway hyperresponsiveness. IL-13 has two binding units; the IL-13 receptor α1 chain transduces the IL-13 signal comprising a heterodimer with the IL-4R α chain, whereas the IL-13 receptor α2 chain (IL-13Rα2) is thought to act as a decoy receptor. However, it remains obscure how expression of these molecules is regulated in each cell. In this article, we analyzed the expression of these components in BECs. Either IL-4 or IL-13 induced intracellular expression of IL-13Rα2 in BECs, which was STAT6-dependent and required de novo protein synthesis. IL-13Rα2 expressed on the cell surface as a monomer inhibited the STAT6-dependent IL-13 signal. Furthermore, expression of IL-13Rα2 was induced in lung tissues of ovalbumin-induced asthma model mice. Taken together, our results suggested the possibility that IL-13Rα2 induced by its ligand is transferred to the cell surface by an unknown mechanism, and it down-regulates the IL-13 signal in BECs, which functions as a unique negative-feedback system for the cytokine signal.