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Increased Numbers of Circulating ICOS+ Follicular Helper T and CD38+ Plasma Cells in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

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Abstract

Background

Aberrant activation of follicular helper T (TFH) and B cells is associated with the development of autoimmune diseases. However, little is known about the potential role of these cells in the development of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

Aim

This study aimed at characterizing the numbers of different subsets of circulating Tfh and B cells as well as evaluating their potential association with the levels of immunoglobulins and autoantibodies in newly diagnosed PBC patients.

Methods

The numbers of circulating CD27+, CD38+, CD86+ and CD95+ B cells as well as inducible T cell costimulator (ICOS)+ and programmed death-1 (PD-1)+, IL-21+ TFH cells were examined in 58 patients with newly diagnosed PBC and 30 matched healthy controls (HCs).

Results

The numbers of circulating CD38+CD19+, CD86+CD19+, and CD95+CD19+ B cells; CD3+CD4+CXCR5+ICOS+ and CD3+CD4+CXCR5+PD-1+ Tfh cells; and the levels of serum IL-21 in the PBC patients were significantly greater, but the numbers of CD27+CD19+ B cells were significantly less than those in the HCs (p < 0.05). The numbers of CD3+CD4+CXCR5+ICOS+ Tfh cells were positively correlated with the numbers of CD38+CD19+ and CD86+CD38+CD19+ B cells and the levels of serum anti-mitochondrial antibodies against M2 antigen (AMA-M2), AMA and immunolgubin M (IgM) in the PBC patients. The levels of serum IL-21 were positively correlated with the levels of serum AMA-M2, AMA, IgG and IgM, but negatively with the numbers of CD27+CD19+ B cells in the PBC patients.

Conclusions

Increased numbers of circulating ICOS+ and IL-21+ Tfh and CD38+ plasma cells may be exhibited by patients with recent diagnoses of PBC.

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Acknowledgments

Supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 30972610 and 81273240), Jilin Province Science and Technology Agency (no. 20110716), the Health Department Research Projects in Jilin Province (2009Z054) and Norman Bethune Program of Jilin University (2012206).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130032, China

    Li Wang, Xiguang Sun, Jinpeng Qiu, Liang Ma, Pingwei Zhao & Yanfang Jiang

  2. Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Yanfang Jiang

  3. Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Yanjun Cai

Authors
  1. Li Wang
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  2. Xiguang Sun
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  3. Jinpeng Qiu
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  4. Yanjun Cai
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  5. Liang Ma
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  6. Pingwei Zhao
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  7. Yanfang Jiang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Pingwei Zhao or Yanfang Jiang.

Additional information

Li Wang, Xiguang Sun and Pingwei Zhao made equal contributions to this study.

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Wang, L., Sun, X., Qiu, J. et al. Increased Numbers of Circulating ICOS+ Follicular Helper T and CD38+ Plasma Cells in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. Dig Dis Sci 60, 405–413 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-014-3372-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-014-3372-3

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