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Asthma
develops when an inhaled allergen or an infection attracts inflammatory
cells into the lung's airways. These cells induce increased production
of mucus and also release cytokines, substances that trigger inflammation
and make the airways constrict. Previously, scientists believed that
this inflammatory process is orchestrated by T helper cells, or Th2
cells. But Umetsu, Akbari and colleagues have found that rather than
Th2 cells, asthma patients' lungs have an excess of a much rarer group
of cells called natural killer T-cells, or NKT-cells. Studying mice,
they showed that NKT-cells can directly cause asthma, even when Th2
cells are completely absent, and that they release the same cytokines
as Th2 cells. Targeting NKT-cells may be a better way to treat asthma,
the researchers believe.
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