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. 2016 Jan;137(1):118-129.e5.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.08.027. Epub 2015 Oct 5.

Diverse activation and differentiation of multiple B-cell subsets in patients with atopic dermatitis but not in patients with psoriasis

Tali Czarnowicki  1 , Juana Gonzalez  2 , Kathleen M Bonifacio  3 , Avner Shemer  4 , Peng Xiangyu  5 , Norma Kunjravia  3 , Dana Malajian  6 , Judilyn Fuentes-Duculan  3 , Hitokazu Esaki  7 , Shinji Noda  3 , Yeriel Estrada  5 , Hui Xu  5 , Xiuzhong Zheng  3 , James G Krueger  3 , Emma Guttman-Yassky  7
Affiliations

Diverse activation and differentiation of multiple B-cell subsets in patients with atopic dermatitis but not in patients with psoriasis

Tali Czarnowicki et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis pathogeneses involve skin barrier impairment and immune dysregulation; however, the contribution of B-cell imbalances to these diseases has not yet been determined.

Objective: We sought to quantify B-cell populations and antibody-secreting cells in the blood of patients with AD, patients with psoriasis, and control subjects.

Methods: We studied 34 adults with moderate-to-severe AD (mean SCORAD score, 65), 24 patients with psoriasis (mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score, 16), and 27 healthy subjects using an 11-color flow cytometric antibody panel. IgD/CD27 and CD24/CD38 core gating systems were used to determine frequencies of plasmablasts and naive, memory, transitional, and activated B cells.

Results: We measured increased CD19(+)CD20(+) B-cell counts in the skin and blood of patients with AD (P < .01). Significantly higher frequencies of chronically activated CD27(+) memory and nonswitched memory B cells were observed in patients with AD (P < .05), with lower values of double-negative populations (4% for patients with AD vs. 7% for patients with psoriasis [P = .001] and 6% for control subjects [P = .02]). CD23 expression was highest in patients with AD and correlated with IgE levels (P < .01) and disease severity (r = 0.6, P = .0002). Plasmablast frequencies and IgE expression were highest in all memory subsets of patients with AD (P < .01). Finally, CD19(+)CD24(++)CD38(++) transitional and CD19(+)CD24(-)CD38(-) new memory B-cell counts were higher in patients with AD versus those in patients with psoriasis (2.8% vs. 1.4% [P = .001] and 9.2% vs. 5.7% [P = .02], respectively).

Conclusions: AD is accompanied by systemic expansion of transitional and chronically activated CD27(+) memory, plasmablast, and IgE-expressing memory subsets. These data create a critical basis for the future understanding of this debilitating skin disease.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; B cells; psoriasis.

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    Czarnowicki T, Krueger JG, Guttman-Yassky E. Czarnowicki T, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Jul;138(1):318-320. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.12.1349. Epub 2016 Apr 8. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016. PMID: 27068246 No abstract available.
  • Systemic B-cell abnormalities in patients with atopic dermatitis?
    Heeringa JJ, Hajdarbegovic E, Thio HB, van Zelm MC. Heeringa JJ, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Jul;138(1):317-318. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.01.038. Epub 2016 Apr 8. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016. PMID: 27068247 No abstract available.

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