HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tliba, O. Articles by Amrani, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tliba, O. Articles by Amrani, Y.

Airway Smooth Muscle Cell as an Inflammatory Cell

Lessons Learned from Interferon Signaling Pathways

¹ Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and ² Department of Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, Leicester University, Leicester, United Kingdom

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Yassine Amrani, University of Leicester, University Road, LE1 9HN, Leicester, UK. E-mail: ya26{at}le.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

The present article will describe the potential role of airway smooth muscle (ASM) in mediating both deleterious/beneficial effects of interferons (IFNs) in asthma. First described as beneficial in treating the main features of asthma, the interplay between IFNs and ASM could explain their deleterious actions recently described in a number of different studies. Through multiple mechanisms, including the suppression of steroid action, the synergistic pro-inflammatory actions when combined with other cytokines, and the modulation of calcium metabolism, IFNs are now seen as critical mediators in the pathogenesis of asthma.

Key Words: signaling cross talk • interferons • asthma • cytokines • TNF-