Cbl-b Deficiency in Mice Results in Exacerbation of Acute and Chronic Stages of Allergic Asthma

Mice sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) develop allergic airway disease (AAD) with short-term daily OVA aerosol challenge; inflammation resolves with long-term OVA aerosol exposure, resulting in local inhalational tolerance (LIT). Cbl-b is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved with CD28 signaling; Cbl-b(−/−) effector T cells are resistant to regulatory T cell-mediated suppression in vitro and in vivo. The present study utilized Cbl-b(−/−) mice to investigate the role of Cbl-b in the development of AAD and LIT. Cbl-b(−/−) mice exhibited increased airway inflammation during AAD, which failed to resolve with long-term OVA aerosol exposure. Exacerbation of inflammation in Cbl-b(−/−) mice correlated with increased proinflammatory cytokine levels and expansion of effector T cells in the BAL during AAD, but did not result in either a modulation of lymphocyte subsets in systemic tissues or in OVA-specific IgE in serum. These results implicate a role for Cbl-b in the resolution of allergic airway inflammation.