Antigen-specific T cell balance reveals Why patients with atopic dermatitis fail to achieve immune tolerance

Masako Inaba; Hiroko Fukushima; Monami Hara; Sho Hosaka; Satoshi Fujiyama; Kazushi Maruo; Toshifumi Nomura; Naoko Okiyama; Hidetoshi Takada

doi:10.1016/j.clim.2023.109649

Antigen-specific T cell balance reveals Why patients with atopic dermatitis fail to achieve immune tolerance

Clin Immunol. 2023 Jul:252:109649. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2023.109649. Epub 2023 May 18.

Authors

Masako Inaba¹, Hiroko Fukushima², Monami Hara¹, Sho Hosaka¹, Satoshi Fujiyama¹, Kazushi Maruo³, Toshifumi Nomura⁴, Naoko Okiyama⁵, Hidetoshi Takada⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of Tsukuba Hospital, 2-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8576, Japan.
² Department of Pediatrics, University of Tsukuba Hospital, 2-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8576, Japan; Department of Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan. Electronic address: fkhiroko@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
³ Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.
⁴ Department of Dermatology, University of Tsukuba Hospital, 2-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8576, Japan.
⁵ Department of Dermatology, University of Tsukuba Hospital, 2-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8576, Japan; Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, University of Tsukuba Hospital, 2-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8576, Japan; Department of Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.

PMID: 37209805
DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2023.109649

Abstract

The number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and how they behave in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) are still controversial. We identified and quantified Tregs, mite-specific Tregs, and mite-specific effector T cells (Teffs) in patients with AD and healthy controls (HCs). We collected peripheral blood and analyzed the cells using flow cytometry after stimulation with mite antigens. Mite-specific Tregs and mite-specific Teffs were recognized by the expression of CD137 and CD154, respectively. Patients with AD had more Tregs than HCs; however, when focusing on a single antigen, the ratio of mite-specific Tregs/Teffs was lower in patients with AD than in HCs. Furthermore, the mite-specific Teffs in patients with AD were more likely to produce proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. This Teff-dominant imbalance is thought to be the cause of development of atopic status in patients with AD without immune tolerance.

Keywords: Antigen specificity; Atopic dermatitis; CD137; CD154; Mite antigen; Regulatory T cell.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antigens
Cytokines / metabolism
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Humans
Immune Tolerance
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

Substances

Antigens
Cytokines