Expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in canine atopic dermatitis

Background – In humans, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) plays a central role in the development of allergic inflammation, such as atopic dermatitis (AD), but it is unknown whether it is involved in the pathogenesis of canine AD (CAD). Hypothesis/Objectives – Our aim was to characterize canine TSLP and to assess its expression in CAD. Methods – Canine TSLP was identified based on sequence homology with human TSLP and the complementary DNA (cDNA) cloned by RT‐PCR. Real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR was established to assess the expression of canine TSLP in cultured canine keratinocytes and in skin biopsy specimens from lesional and nonlesional skin of 12 dogs with CAD and eight healthy control dogs. Results – Partial canine TSLP cDNA was cloned and characterized. It contained four exons that shared 70 and 73% nucleotide identity with human and equine TSLP, respectively, encoding the signal peptide and full‐length secreted protein. We found significantly increased TSLP expression in lesional and nonlesional skin of dogs with CAD compared with healthy control dogs (P