特应性皮炎(AD)是慢性的炎症性皮肤疾病，严重影响患者的健康和生活质量，嗜碱性粒细胞（Ba）在AD中显著上升，且与嗜酸性粒细胞(Eo)和II型天然淋巴细胞（ILC2）正相关。然而Ba与AD的严重程度相关性未知，且人的Ba对Eo和ILC2的调控作用不明。我们通过基因芯片分析首次发现，IL-2介导Ba高度表达新的细胞因子IL-1α/β、IL-5和GM-CSF。我们假设IL-2介导活化的Ba通过新的细胞因子调控自身、Eo和ILC2活化参与调控AD。因此，我们拟I)探究IL-2对Ba活化的调控作用和分子机制；II）探讨IL-2介导Ba活化后的IL-1α/β、IL-5和GM-CSF对Ba、Eo和ILC2的功能调控；以及III) 揭示嗜碱性粒细胞及其新的细胞因子在轻中度和中重度特应性皮炎中的表达及其与疾病严重程度的相关性。我们的研究将进一步阐述Ba在AD中的免疫调控机制，为免疫治疗手段开发奠定基础。

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that greatly affects the health and quality of life of patients with AD. As one of the key effector cells, increased basophils in AD are associated with accumulated eosinophils and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2). However, the association of basophils with the severity of atopic dermatitis as well as the functions of basophils in regulating the biology of eosinophils and ILC2 in humans is not known yet. Our pilot studies by gene expression microarray analysis, for the first time, identified that human basophils highly expressed novel cytokines IL-1α/β, IL-5 and GM-CSF in response to IL-2 stimulation. We hypothesize that novel cytokines IL-1α/β, IL-5 and GM-CSF derived from IL-2-activated basophils regulate the activations of basophils, eosinophils and ILC2, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. In the proposed study, we therefore aim to I) determine the function and molecular mechanism of IL-2 in regulating the activation of human basophils; II) characterize the functions of IL-1α/β, IL-5 and GM-CSF derived from IL-2-stimulated basophils in regulating the functions of basophils, eosinophils and ILC2; III) elucidate the expression of basophils and their cytokines IL-1α/β, IL-5 and GM-CSF in mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and their correlation with the disease severity. The proposed study, if successfully accomplished, will further unravel the role of basophils in regulating atopic dermatitis and provide evidence for developing effective strategies for treating atopic dermatitis.