Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 24, Issue 15, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241511952
Keywords
Sjogren's syndrome (pSS); CXCR5; CCR9 T cells; Tph; Tfh; ICOS; PD-1
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is characterized by B cell hyperactivity. This study found limited overlap between CXCR5- Tph cells and CCR9+ Tfh-like cells in pSS patients and healthy controls. The highest expression of PD-1/ICOS was found in CXCR5/CCR9 co-expressing T cells, which are enriched in pSS patients and may contribute to ongoing immune responses.
Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease characterised by B cell hyperactivity. CXCR5+ follicular helper T cells (Tfh), CXCR5-PD-1hi peripheral helper T cells (Tph) and CCR9+ Tfh-like cells have been implicated in driving B cell hyperactivity in pSS; however, their potential overlap has not been evaluated. Our aim was to study the overlap between the two CXCR5- cell subsets and to study their PD-1/ICOS expression compared to true CXCR5/PD-1/ICOS-expressing Tfh cells. CXCR5- Tph and CCR9+ Tfh-like cell populations from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of pSS patients and healthy controls (HC) were compared using flow cytometry. PD-1/ICOS expression from these cell subsets was compared to each other and to CXCR5+ Tfh cells, taking into account their differentiation status. CXCR5- Tph cells and CCR9+ Tfh-like cells, both in pSS patients and HC, showed limited overlap. PD-1/ICOS expression was higher in memory cells expressing CXCR5 or CCR9. However, the highest expression was found in CXCR5/CCR9 co-expressing T cells, which are enriched in the circulation of pSS patients. CXCR5- Tph and CCR9+ Tfh-like cells are two distinct cell populations that both are enriched in pSS patients and can drive B cell hyperactivity in pSS. The known upregulated expression of CCL25 and CXCL13, ligands of CCR9 and CXCR5, at pSS inflammatory sites suggests concerted action to facilitate the migration of CXCR5+CCR9+ T cells, which are characterised by the highest frequencies of PD-1/ICOS-positive cells. Hence, these co-expressing effector T cells may significantly contribute to the ongoing immune responses in pSS.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available