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The transcription factor PU.1 promotes alternative macrophage polarization and asthmatic airway inflammation Free
Feng Qian1,2,†,*, Jing Deng2,†, Yong Gyu Lee2, Jimmy Zhu3, Manjula Karpurapu2, Sangwoon Chung2, Jun-Nian Zheng4, Lei Xiao5, Gye Young Park5, and John W. Christman2,*
1School of Pharmacy, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
2Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
3Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
4Jiangsu Center for the Collaboration and Innovation of Cancer Biotherapy, Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, China
5Department of Medicine, Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA *Correspondence to: John W. Christman, E-mail: john.christman@osumc.edu; Feng Qian, E-mail: fengqian7@outlook.com
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 7, Issue 6, December 2015, 557-567,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjv042
Keyword: PU.1, alternatively activated macrophage, asthmatic inflammation, Th2, IL-4

The transcription factor PU.1 is involved in regulation of macrophage differentiation and maturation. However, the role of PU.1 in alternatively activated macrophage (AAM) and asthmatic inflammation has yet been investigated. Here we report that PU.1 serves as a critical regulator of AAM polarization and promotes the pathological progress of asthmatic airway inflammation. In response to the challenge of DRA (dust mite, ragweed, and Aspergillus) allergens, conditional PU.1-deficient (PU/ER(T)+/−) mice displayed attenuated allergic airway inflammation, including decreased alveolar eosinophil infiltration and reduced production of IgE, which were associated with decreased mucous glands and goblet cell hyperplasia. The reduced asthmatic inflammation in PU/ER(T)+/− mice was restored by adoptive transfer of IL-4-induced wild-type (WT) macrophages. Moreover, after treating PU/ER(T)+/− mice with tamoxifen to rescue PU.1 function, the allergic asthmatic inflammation was significantly restored. In vitro studies demonstrate that treatment of PU.1-deficient macrophages with IL-4 attenuated the expression of chitinase 3-like 3 (Ym-1) and resistin-like molecule alpha 1 (Fizz-1), two specific markers of AAM polarization. In addition, PU.1 expression in macrophages was inducible in response to IL-4 challenge, which was associated with phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6). Furthermore, DRA challenge in sensitized mice almost abrogated gene expression of Ym-1 and Fizz-1 in lung tissues of PU/ER(T)+/− mice compared with WT mice. These data, all together, indicate that PU.1 plays a critical role in AAM polarization and asthmatic inflammation.