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MicroRNA miR-22 drives TH17 responses in emphysema

Nature Immunology volume 16, pages 1109–1110 (2015)Cite this article

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The TH17 subset of helper T cells drives emphysema in smokers, but how these cells are elicited remains unknown. A study now links the microRNA miR-22 and the histone deacetylase HDAC4 to regulation of the activation of antigen-presenting cells after exposure to smoke.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects more than 200 million people worldwide. The Global Burden of Disease study estimates that in 2010 almost 2.9 million people died due to COPD, which ranks COPD as the third leading cause of death1. One in five smokers develops COPD, but exposure to smoke from biomass fuels or outdoor air pollution (such as traffic-related pollutants) can also cause COPD. In healthy lungs, gas exchange takes place in alveolar spaces, which are specialized units of alveolar epithelial cells, blood-containing capillaries and a thin elastin-rich extracellular matrix. When lung tissues of patients with COPD are examined under the microscope, two hallmarks are evident: first, the airways are narrowed due to chronic inflammation and increased mucus, and second, there are holes in the lungs due to destruction of the alveolar walls, which leads to emphysema. In this issue of Nature Immunology, Corry and colleagues provide intriguing novel insights into the immunological mechanisms that drive emphysema2.

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Figure 1: The role of miR-22 in the development of emphysema.

Kim Caesar/Nature Publishing Group

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guy G. Brusselle is in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, and Department of Epidemiology and Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.,

    Guy G Brusselle

  2. Ken R. Bracke is in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.,

    Ken R Bracke

Authors
  1. Guy G Brusselle
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  2. Ken R Bracke
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Correspondence to Guy G Brusselle.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Brusselle, G., Bracke, K. MicroRNA miR-22 drives TH17 responses in emphysema. Nat Immunol 16, 1109–1110 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3295

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