Altered circulating T follicular helper cell subsets in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.
Circulating T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in the blood are counterparts to conventional Tfh cells in germinal centres. Similarly to conventional Tfh cells, circulating Tfh cells provide helpful signals for B cells. Circulating Tfh cells can be divided into three subpopulations, including Tfh17 (CXCR3-CCR6+), Tfh1 (CXCR3+CCR6-), and Tfh2 (CXCR3-CCR6-) cells, based on differences in CXCR3 and CCR6 expression. Recent studies have demonstrated that alterations in circulating Tfh cell subsets have significant effects on the progression of numerous autoimmune diseases. To address the role of circulating Tfh cells in psoriasis, we used flow cytometry to analyse frequencies of circulating Tfh cell subsets and levels of IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) expression on B cells in 32 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 13 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. We observed dynamic changes in Tfh17 cell frequency and disease severity in 10 psoriasis patients during a 6-month treatment. Our results demonstrate that the frequency of Tfh17 cells was significantly increased in psoriasis patients and was positively correlated with psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score, a marker of disease severity (P<0.05). During the follow-up period, the frequencies of Tfh17 cells decreased, and reductions in PASI scores were observed. Moreover, IL-21R expression on B cells was significantly increased in patients with psoriasis vulgaris (P<0.05). Interestingly, IL-21R levels on B cells were correlated with both PASI score and the frequency of Tfh17 cells (P<0.05). In conclusion, this study is the first investigation of the distribution of circulating Tfh subsets in psoriasis. These results deepen our understanding of the immune state of psoriasis patients. Our data also indicate that Tfh17 cells may not be good biomarkers for diagnosing psoriasis but may be potential biomarkers of disease severity in psoriasis.
China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, No. 2, Yinghua East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China; Department of Dermatology & Venerology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, No. 2, Yinghua East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: benbenyingwin@163.com.
Ying
Y
Wang
China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, No. 2, Yinghua East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China; Department of Dermatology & Venerology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, No. 2, Yinghua East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: Wanglili_cjy@sina.com.
Lili
L
Wang
Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Changping Hospital, No. 9, Gu Lou North Street, Changping District, Beijing, 102200, China. Electronic address: syc19900522@163.com.
Yanchao
Y
Shi
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11, Bei San Huan East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: ffreewong@163.com.
Feifei
F
Wang
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11, Bei San Huan East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China.
Haoyu
H
Yang
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11, Bei San Huan East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: Suseqingchun@163.com.
Shuo
S
Han
China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, No. 2, Yinghua East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China; Department of Dermatology & Venerology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, No. 2, Yinghua East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: zhi@tsinghua.edu.cn.
Yanping
Y
Bai
D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21
B cells; IL-21R; Psoriasis; Subsets; Tfh cells