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Age-related differences in human palatine tonsillar B cell subsets and immunoglobulin isotypes

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Abstract

The tonsils provide defense of the upper aerodigestive tract against pathogens. Although long known to undergo functional changes with age, the precise changes occurring within tonsillar B cell populations remain undefined. In the present study, we investigated age-related changes in palatine tonsillar B cell subsets and immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes. Palatine tonsils were obtained from forty-two tonsillectomy patients without tonsillitis who were divided into three groups: young children (4–9 years), adolescents (10–19 years), and adults (20–60 years). Tonsillar B cells were then analyzed by flow cytometry. Using expression of CD38 and IgD to define B cell subsets, we found that the frequency of germinal center (GC) B cells in the tonsils was significantly higher, and the frequency of memory B cells lower, in young children as compared to adolescents and adults. Within the GC B cell subsets, adults had a higher frequency of IgA+ cells and a lower frequency of IgM+ cells as compared to individuals in the younger age groups. Moreover, young children had a higher frequency of IgG+ cells in the GC B cell subsets than did individuals in the older age groups. We also observed an abundance of IgM+ cells among memory B cells and plasmablasts in young children and IgA+ cells in adults. In summary, the proportion of GC B cells in palatine tonsillar B cells decreases with age, while the proportion of memory B cells increases with age. In addition, Ig isotypes in tonsils preferentially switch from IgM to IgA as individuals age.

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Abbreviations

GC:

Germinal center

Ig:

Immunoglobulin

MFI:

Mean fluorescence intensity

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant of the Korean Health Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea (HI13C1263). This work was also supported by National Research Foundation grants (2012-M3C1A1-048860 and 2014R1A1A1005598) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Future Systems Healthcare Project funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of Korea.

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The authors have no conflicting financial interests.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea

      Jino Lee, Dong-Yeop Chang, Yoon Seok Choi & Eui-Cheol Shin

    2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, 660-702, Republic of Korea

      Dong-Yeop Chang, Sang-Wook Kim & Sea-Yuong Jeon

    3. Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

      Vito Racanelli

    4. Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 156-707, Republic of Korea

      Dae Woo Kim

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    1. Jino Lee
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    Correspondence to Dae Woo Kim or Eui-Cheol Shin.

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    Jino Lee and Dong-Yeop Chang have contributed equally to this work.

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    Lee, J., Chang, DY., Kim, SW. et al. Age-related differences in human palatine tonsillar B cell subsets and immunoglobulin isotypes. Clin Exp Med 16, 81–87 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-015-0338-5

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