Roles of follicular helper and regulatory T cells in allergic diseases and allergen immunotherapy |
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| Authors: | Yin Yao Cai-Ling Chen Di Yu Zheng Liu |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia;2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China;3. The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Allergic diseases are characterized by overactive type 2 immune responses to allergens and immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity. Emerging evidence suggests that follicular helper T (TFH) cells, rather than type 2 T-helper (TH2) cells, play a crucial role in controlling IgE production. However, follicular regulatory T (TFR) cells, a specialized subset of regulatory T (TREG) cells resident in B-cell follicles, restricts TFH cell-mediated help in extrafollicular antibody production, germinal center (GC) formation, immunoglobulin affinity maturation, and long-lived, high-affinity plasma and memory B-cell differentiation. In mouse models of allergic asthma and food allergy, CXCR5+ TFH cells, not CXCR5? conventional TH2 cells, are needed to support IgE production, otherwise exacerbated by CXCR5+ TFR cell deletion. Upregulation of TFH cell activities, including a skewing toward type 2 TFH (TFH2) and IL-13 producing TFH (TFH13) phenotypes, and defects in TFR cells have been identified in patients with allergic diseases. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) reinstates the balance between TFH and TFR cells in patients with allergic diseases, resulting in clinical benefits. Collectively, further understanding of TFH and TFR cells and their role in the immunopathogenesis of allergic diseases creates opportunities to develop novel therapeutic approaches. |
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| Keywords: | allergen immunotherapy allergy follicular helper T cell follicular regulatory T cell immunoglobulin E |
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