RANTES is implicated in allergic asthma and in T cell-dependent
clearance of infection. RANTES receptor family comprises CCR1, CCR3, and
CCR5, which are G-protein-coupled receptors consisting of seven
transmembrane helices. Infections with respiratory viruses like
Rhinovirus cause induction of RANTES production by epithelial cells.
Here, we studied the role of RANTES in the peripheral blood mononuclear
cells in cohorts of children with and without asthma and validated and
extended this study to the airways of adults with and without asthma. We
further translated these studies to a murine model of asthma induced by
house dust mite allergen in wild-type RANTES and CCR5-deficient mice.
Here we show an unpredicted therapeutic role of RANTES in the resolution
of allergen-induced asthma by orchestrating the transition of effector
GATA-3+CD4+ T cells into immune-regulatory-type T cells and inflammatory
eosinophils into resident eosinophils as well as increased IL-10
production in the lung