Increased inhibitory surface marker PD-1 expression in CD4+T cells and Th2+T cells in allergen-specific immunotherapy

• Published in: Immunobiology (1979) Vol. 229; no. 4; p. 152824
• Main Authors: Jie, Xueyan, Wang, Dan, Da, Hongju, Li, Hongxin, Zhao, Hongyan, He, Jin, Liu, Jianghao, Ma, Yu, Qiang, Zhihui, Li, Zhuoyang, Zhong, Haicheng, Liu, Yun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier GmbH 01.07.2024
• Subjects: AIT; Allergens - immunology; Animals; Asthma - immunology; Asthma - therapy; Biomarkers; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; CTLA-4; Desensitization, Immunologic - methods; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Ovalbumin - immunology; PD-1; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor - metabolism; T cells exhaustion; Th2 Cells - immunology; CTLA-4; AIT; T cells exhaustion; PD-1
• ISSN: 0171-2985; 1878-3279; 1878-3279
• DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2024.152824

•Increased PD-1 expression in CD4 and Th2 cells in Allergen-specific immunotherapy.•Allergen exposure increases PD-1 expression on CD4+T cells.•Allergen exposure did not affect CTLA-4 in CD4+ T and Th2+T cells.•T cell exhaustion plays an important role in Allergen-specific immunotherapy. Recent evidence has shown that T cell exhaustion is implicated in Allergen-specific Immunotherapy (AIT). However, how T cell exhaustion plays a role in AIT is far from clear. Our study aimed to investigate T cell exhaustion associated with allergen exposure during AIT in mice. Ovalbumin (OVA) − sensitized C57BL/6J asthma mouse and AIT mouse models were constructed. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRTPCR) and flow cytometry were used to monitor the occurrence of local and systemic CD4+ T cells and Th2+T cells exhaustion in OVA-sensitized mice. The inhibitory surface marker programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) on CD4+ T cells and Th2+T cells was significantly upregulated in AIT mice compared with asthmatic and control mice. The level of PD-1 on the surface of CD4+T cells of asthma mice was significantly higher than that of control mice. The inhibitory surface marker cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) on CD4+ T cells and Th2+T cells showed no significant difference between the AIT, asthma and control mice. Collectively, our study indicated that the expression of PD-1 on CD4+ T cells and Th2+T cells was increased in AIT. Allergen exposure promotes the expression of PD-1 on the surface of CD4+ T cells. T cell exhaustion plays an important role in AIT.