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B Cell Anomalies in Autoimmune Retinopathy (AIR)
Elena Stansky1, Angélique Biancotto2, Pradeep K Dagur1
1Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States.
Purpose:
Autoimmune retinopathy (AIR) is a retinopathy associated with unexplained vision loss presumably linked to circulating antiretinal antibodies; currently, however, there are no standardized criteria regarding the diagnosis, treatment strategy, or pathogenesis of this disease. The importance of B-lymphocyte immunophenotyping in the classification of AIR is unknown.
Methods:
We utilized 15-color multiparametric flow cytometry to identify aberrations in B cell subsets that may contribute to the pathophysiology of AIR. Luminex cytokine analysis was also performed on plasma samples from AIR patients.
Results:
Significant differences in AIR patients compared to individuals with other inflammatory conditions or healthy donors were found in the B cell memory compartment, including an increase in naïve B cells and a decrease in switched and unswitched memory B cells, which correlated with alterations in immunoglobulin secretion.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that the maturation process of B cells may be impaired and that B cell immunophenotyping may help in understanding disease process in AIR.
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