ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Mucosal Immunity
A mouse model of allergic conjunctivitis with mucosal immune-related gene and circRNA dysregulation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jilin University College of Basic Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
- 2China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University Department of Ophthalmology, Changchun, China
- 3Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is an inflammatory ocular condition triggered by allergens like pollen. Although general allergic mechanisms are well characterized, the immune specificity of the ocular mucosa remains unclear. This study investigates immune-related mRNAs and circRNAs to uncover novel molecular pathways in AC pathogenesis. Using a ragweed pollen-induced murine AC model, conjunctival tissues were subjected to RNA sequencing. DESeq2-based differential expression analysis revealed dysregulated mRNAs and circRNAs, with significant enrichment in the IL-17 signaling pathway. Key IL-17-associated genes (Tnfrsf4, Cxcl1, Lef1) and co-expressed circRNAs (Circ9626, Circ2598, etc.) were markedly upregulated. Immune infiltration analysis confirmed a mixed Th2/Th17 response with notable neutrophil involvement. These findings highlight the potential involvement of the Th17/IL-17 axis beyond classical Th2 immunity and construct a putative circRNA–IL-17 co-expression network, providing a comprehensive transcriptomic landscape and identifying potential candidates for future therapeutic exploration in AC.
Keywords: allergic conjunctivitis, circRNA, Immune infiltration, immune-related genes, mucosal immunity, Transcriptomic Analysis
Received: 11 Nov 2025; Accepted: 06 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zhang, Qi, Leng, Qin, Zhang and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hong Zhang
Bing Wu
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