Persistent Off-Season Dysregulation of Memory B Cell Subsets in Allergic Rhinitis.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Allergy Research
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent allergic airway disease.
• B cells are crucial in AR, but their subset distribution off-season is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To profile peripheral blood B cell subsets in AR patients during the pollen-free season.
• To compare AR patients with healthy controls (HC) to find persistent immune alterations and biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 14 AR patients and 14 HC during the off-season.
• Used flow cytometry to identify B cell subsets (naïve, memory, etc.) based on IgD, CD27, CD38, and CD24.
• Assessed immunoglobulin isotypes, CD86 expression, and kappa/lambda light chain usage.

Main Results:

• AR patients had lower frequencies of IgG1+, IgG2+, and IgA1+/IgA2+ memory B cells.
• Elevated frequencies of IgG4+ and κ+ B cells were observed in AR patients.
• Reduced CD86+IgM+ memory-like B cells in AR indicated altered activation dynamics.

Conclusions:

• AR patients exhibit systemic B cell dysregulation even outside allergen exposure.
• Findings reveal skewed class switching and altered B cell subsets in AR.
• Identified potential off-season biomarkers for allergic inflammation in AR patients.