Location, location, location: spatial immune‐stroma crosstalk drives pathogenesis in asthma
Author(s)
Joulia, Régis
Lloyd, Clare M
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Chronic lung diseases including asthma are characterized by an abnormal immune response and active tissue remodeling. These changes in the architecture of the tissue are a fundamental part of the pathology across the life course of patients suffering from asthma. Current treatments aim at dampening the immune system hyperactivation, but effective drugs targeting stromal or acellular structures are still lacking. This is mainly due to the lack of a detailed understanding of the composition of the large airways and the cellular interactions taking place in this niche. We and others have revealed multiple aspects of the spatial architecture of the airway wall in response to airborne insults. In this review, we discuss four elements that we believe should be the focus of future asthma research across the life course, to increase understanding and improve therapies: (i) specialized lung niches, (ii) the 3D architecture of the epithelium, (iii) the extracellular matrix, and (iv) the vasculature. These components comprise the main stromal structures at the airway wall, each playing a key role in the development of asthma and directing the immune response. We summarize promising future directions that will enhance lung research, ultimately benefiting patients with asthma.
Date Issued
2025-03-01
Date Acceptance
2025-02-12
Citation
Immunological Reviews, 2025, 330 (1)
ISSN
0105-2896
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Immunological Reviews
Volume
330
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Immunological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39991870
Subjects
airway wall
asthma
immune/stroma
inflammation
lung
spatial responses
Humans
Asthma
Animals
Extracellular Matrix
Airway Remodeling
Stromal Cells
Lung
Cell Communication
Respiratory Mucosa
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
e70013
Date Publish Online
2025-02-24