Project 4

In this Project, we will be continuing the work I have started in the US focusing on particulate matter (PM) and their role is altering the lung biology. Earlier, in 2018 and 2020, I was able to show that particulate matter activates Jagged-1 receptor on alveolar macrophages (AMs) via hydrocarbon receptor (Xia et al. JACI 2018). Furthermore, the role of Notch4 in corrupting the Treg cells and causing the activation of ILCs type 2 and exacerbation of the allergic phenotype (Harb et al Nat. Immunology 2020, Benamar & Harb et al. Allergy 2022). Furthermore, multiple reports have shown the DNA methylation changing effect of PMs on different types of cells. Nevertheless, the real effect of PM on the epigenome of the lung has never been shown. We will be investigating the transgenerational effect of PM, in an established mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. Moreover, we will be trying to understand the role of EVs in the changes of the lung microenvironment not only after acute or chronic models of airway inflammation alone or with the addition of PM.