title: Alteration of circulating type 2 follicular helper T cells and regulatory B cells underlies the comorbid association of allergic rhinitis with bronchial asthma.
abstract: Allergic rhinitis (AR), the most common allergic disorder of the airway, is often accompanied by bronchial asthma. However, little is known about the mechanism by which AR advances to AR comorbid with bronchial asthma (AR+Asthma). To determine the pathophysiologic features of AR and AR+Asthma, we examined subsets of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and regulatory B (Breg) cells in peripheral blood from AR and AR+Asthma patients. The results showed polarization of Tfh2 cells within Tfh cell subsets in both AR and AR+Asthma cases. Interestingly, the %Breg cells in total B cells were decreased in AR cases and, more extensively, in AR+Asthma cases. Moreover, we found significant correlations of fractional exhaled nitric oxide and blood eosinophil levels with the index %Tfh2 cells per %Breg cells. Our findings indicate that relative decrease in Breg cells under the condition of Tfh2 cell skewing is a putative exaggerating factor of AR to bronchial asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kamekura
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; Sapporo Respiratory Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shigehara
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satsuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyajima
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sumito
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jitsukawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogasawara
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kokai
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Himi
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. Electronic address: ichimiya@sapmed.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ichimiya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications*; D060151:B-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000150:complications*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Bronchial asthma; Regulatory B cells; Tfh cells; Tfh2 cells