Staphylococcal enterotoxin B compromises the immune tolerant status in the airway mucosa

• Published in: Clinical and experimental allergy 2012-03, Vol.42 (3), p.375-382
• Main Authors: Liu, T., Liang, X., Li, T.-L., Ma, J., Yang, J.-F., Yang, P.-C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Allergic rhinitis; Allergies; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Cell culture; Dendritic cells; Dendritic Cells - immunology; Dendritic Cells - microbiology; Enterotoxins - immunology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epithelial cells; Epithelium; Female; Flow Cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Hypersensitivity - immunology; Hypersensitivity - microbiology; immune tolerance; Immune Tolerance - immunology; Immunoassays; Immunological tolerance; Immunoregulation; Infectious diseases; integrin; Integrin alpha5 - immunology; Integrins; Lymphocytes T; Male; Medical sciences; Mucosa; nasal mucosa; Nasal Mucosa - immunology; Nasal Mucosa - microbiology; Non tumoral diseases; Nose; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Respiratory tract; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rhinitis - immunology; Rhinitis - microbiology; Staphylococcal enterotoxin B; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - microbiology; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology
• ISSN: 0954-7894; 1365-2222
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2011.03869.x

Summary Background The breakdown of immune tolerance plays a critical role in allergic disorders; the mechanism of breaching immune tolerance remains largely unknown. Objective The present study aimed to investigate the role of Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in the interference of the immune tolerance in the nasal mucosa. Methods The immune tolerant components, tolerogenic dendritic cells (TolDC) and regulatory T cells (Treg), were assessed in the surgically removed nasal mucosa from patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) or non‐AR chronic rhinitis. The contents of SEB and integrin alphavbeta6 (avb6) in the nasal epithelium were assessed using enzyme‐linked immunoassay. The ability of avb6 on TolDC induction and the effect of SEB on suppression of avb6 in nasal epithelial cells were observed in cell culture. Results Compared with that in the non‐AR nasal mucosa, the frequencies of TolDCs/Tregs were lower, the contents of SEB were higher and the contents of avb6 were lower in the AR nasal mucosa. Avb6 had the ability to induce the development of TolDCs in vitro; the latter had the ability to induce Treg development. The expression of avb6 was detected in nasal epithelial cells in culture that could be suppressed by SEB. Conclusions and clinical relevance The components of immune tolerance machinery, TolDCs and Tregs were suppressed in the AR nasal mucosa. The increases in SEB and decreases in avb6 in nasal epithelium are associated with the compromises of immune tolerance in the nasal mucosa. SEB has the ability to suppress the expression of avb6 in nasal epithelial cells.