PBMCs from both atopic asthmatic and nonatopic children show a TH2 cytokine response to house dust mite allergen

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 106; no. 1; pp. 84 - 91
• Main Authors: Nurse, Barbara, Puterman, Allan S., Haus, Matthias, Berman, Dilys, Weinberg, Eugene G., Potter, Paul C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.07.2000
• Subjects: African; AIDS/HIV; Allergens - immunology; Animals; asthma; Asthma - immunology; Atopy; Cells, Cultured; Child; Cytokines - biosynthesis; house dust mite; Humans; IFN-γ; IL-5; Interferon-gamma - biosynthesis; Interleukin-4 - biosynthesis; Interleukin-5 - biosynthesis; Mites - immunology; mycobacterial protein; peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Th1 Cells - immunology; Th2 Cells - immunology; Th2 Cells - metabolism; Tuberculin Test; peripheral blood mononuclear cells; HDM; mycobacterial protein; IFN-γ; house dust mite; PPD; IL-5; asthma; δdpm; Atopy; African
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1067/mai.2000.107397

Background: The hypothesis that in atopic diseases the T-helper response is skewed toward a TH2-type cytokine response was based on studies with mitogen stimulation, T-cell clones, or both. Objective: Using primary cultures, we investigated (1) whether atopic asthmatic patients have a TH2 response and nonatopic subjects have a TH1 response to allergen and (2) whether atopic patients have a decreased ability to mount TH1 immune responses to mycobacterial antigens. Methods: The responses of PBMCs to allergen (house dust mite [HDM]) or purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (PPD) stimulation from 10 severely and 14 moderately asthmatic patients (all allergic to HDM) were compared with those of 17 nonatopic healthy black (Xhosa) children. Results: HDM-stimulated proliferation, IL-5 release, and the IL-5/IFN-γ ratio were significantly increased in subjects with atopic asthma, whereas IFN-γ release was not significantly different. IL-4 levels were below the level of detection. PPD-stimulated proliferation, IL-5 release, IFN-γ release, and the IL-5/IFN-γ ratio were not significantly different among the groups. Each group had a significantly higher IL-5/IFN-γ ratio in response to HDM than to PPD (a TH1 stimulus). Conclusion: Our study, which used primary cultures to investigate the hypothesis that nonatopic subjects have a TH1 response to allergens, indicates that HDM stimulates a TH2 cytokine response in both atopic and nonatopic subjects but that the response is enhanced in atopic patients. Our results with PPD suggest that normal and atopic asthmatic subjects can have a TH1 cytokine response to mycobacteria, but there is a subgroup of atopic subjects that have a TH2 response. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;106:84-91.)