Investigation Into TIM-1 Expression Of Helper T Lymphocyte In Allergic Rhinitis Patients

Objective To evaluate the significance of T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-1(TIM-1) expression in Helper T lymphocyte in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients.TIM-1 has been identified as being encoded by an important atopy susceptibility gene.Methods Human peripheral blood mononuclear ce11s (PBMC) were separated by density gradient from 20 healthy human donors and 20 AR sufferers. The Magnetic cell sorting technique (MACS) was applied to purify CD4+ T cells and CD4+CD45RA+ T cells. Immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry were used to detect the Helper T lymphocyte marker TIM-1; TIM-1 positive Helper T lymphocytes from AR sufferers and healthy human donors were tested by infusing PHA (20ug/ml) into the culture medium. DC was conditioned in culture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (50000SBU/ml) or LPS (20ng/ml) in vitro, respectively. Then CD4+ CD45RA+T cells were co-cultured with the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or LPS -conditioned DC. At the same time TIM-1 positive Helper T lymphocytes were counted. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze IL-4 and IFN-γfrom supernatants of these cultures for indirectly referring to the proportion of Th2/Th1.Results TIM-1 positive CD4+T cells in allergic rhinitis were 9.48%±1.51%, higher than that in healthy controls ( 3.12%±0.32%) (P<0.05),TIM-1 positive CD4+CD45RA+ T cells increased after infusing PHA into the culture medium. TIM-1 positive CD4+CD45RA+ T cells in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus groups were 10.81%±1.48%,higher than that in LPS groups (6.07%±1.45%) (P<0.05).IL-4 and IFN-γlevels in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were 74.61±13.82pg/ml; 25.31±7.23pg/ml, respectively; and in LPS groups were 28.57±3.36pg/ml; 163.41±82.37pg/ml.Conclusion TIM-1 positive Helper T lymphocytes in AR sufferers were higher than that in healthy human donors. DC present antigen to Helper T lymphocytes and increased expression of TIM-1 on Helper T lymphocytes; TIM-1 positive naive T cells were elevated after infusing European standard allergen into the culture medium and thus droved na?ve CD4+T cells to differentiate into Th2 cells, suggesting that TIM-1 expression on Helper T lymphocytes might be beneficial in driving na?ve CD4+T cells to differentiate into Th2 cells, and thus inducing Th2 cytokine-biased immune responses.