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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cytokines and Soluble Mediators in Immunity
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1526081
This article is part of the Research Topic Cytokine Network Dynamics: Influence on Autoimmune Disorders and Cancer Therapy View all 6 articles

Interaction between nasal epithelial cells and Tregs in allergic rhinitis responses to allergen via CCL1/CCR8

Provisionally accepted
Jichao Sha Jichao Sha Maolin Yang Maolin Yang Yashu Lei Yashu Lei Liwei Sun Liwei Sun Cuida Meng Cuida Meng Dongdong Zhu Dongdong Zhu *
  • Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The airway epithelial barrier is the first defence against aeroallergens. Nasal epithelial cells (NECs) are vital in regulating innate and adaptive mucosal immunity in allergic rhinitis (AR). Tregs produce cytokines essential for the immunomodulatory activities in allergen immunotherapy. Understanding the relationship between NECs and Tregs in the airway hyperresponsiveness network is essential for developing novel treatments.Using an in vitro human Treg-NEC co-culture system of AR and health control group, the chemokine expression profiles of NECs were examined using immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and ELISA, and functional surface markers of Tregs were detected using flow cytometric analysis. Correlation analysis was performed between cytokines derived from NECs and surface markers of CD4+CD8+Foxp3+ Tregs in the AR group after co-culture, including TSLP/CTLA4, CCL1/ CTLA4, TSLP/CTLA4, TSLP/CCR8, and CCL1/CCR8. Results: CCR8 and CTLA-4 expressions after co-culturing were higher than single culture. Following Derp1 stimulation, TSLP, IL-25 and TGF-β expressions in the AR + Derp1 group were increased. CCL1 mRNA was lower in the AR + Derp1 group than control group. In the AR + Derp1 group, TSLP was higher, and CCL1 protein levels were decreased. There were no significant differences in IL-25, TGF-β and IL-10. When Treg co-culture group added, changes were similar to that observed in pNECs. After coculture, CCL1/CCR8 was positively correlated in AR.Human pNECs can communicate with Tregs directly, CCL1/CCR8 may be the pathway between NECs and Tregs in vitro and may play a key role in the immune network of AR.

    Keywords: allergic rhinitis, nasal epithelial cells, regulatory T cells, Cytokines, CC chemokine ligand 1

    Received: 19 Nov 2024; Accepted: 21 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Sha, Yang, Lei, Sun, Meng and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dongdong Zhu, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.