Trained immunity and tolerance in innate lymphoid cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells during allergen-specific immunotherapy

Andrzej Eljaszewicz; Fiorella Ruchti; Urszula Radzikowska; Anna Globinska; Tadech Boonpiyathad; Anna Gschwend; Hideaki Morita; Arthur Helbling; Stefania Arasi; Helga Kahlert; Nadine Berek; Andreas Nandy; Mübeccel Akdis; Christoph Willers; Marcin Moniuszko; Cezmi A Akdis; Milena Sokolowska

doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2020.08.042

Trained immunity and tolerance in innate lymphoid cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells during allergen-specific immunotherapy

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021 May;147(5):1865-1877. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.08.042. Epub 2020 Oct 9.

Authors

Andrzej Eljaszewicz¹, Fiorella Ruchti², Urszula Radzikowska¹, Anna Globinska², Tadech Boonpiyathad³, Anna Gschwend⁴, Hideaki Morita⁵, Arthur Helbling⁴, Stefania Arasi⁶, Helga Kahlert⁷, Nadine Berek⁷, Andreas Nandy⁷, Mübeccel Akdis⁸, Christoph Willers⁷, Marcin Moniuszko⁹, Cezmi A Akdis², Milena Sokolowska¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland; Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland; Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
² Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland; Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland.
³ Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland; Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland; Department of Medicine, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁴ University Clinic for Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergology, Insel Hospital, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland; Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland; Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
⁶ Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland; Pediatric Allergology Unit, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Bambino Gesù Children's Research Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy.
⁷ Allergopharma GmbH & Co KG, Reinbek, Germany.
⁸ Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland.
⁹ Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland; Department of Allergology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
¹⁰ Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland; Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 33039478
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.08.042

Abstract

Background: Despite the efficacy of allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT), the role of trained immunity and tolerance in this process has not been elucidated.

Objective: Here, we have performed a comprehensive longitudinal analysis of the systemic innate immune cell repertoire during the course of AIT.

Methods: Patients with allergy received standard preseasonal subcutaneous AIT with allergoids to birch and/or grass. Healthy controls were monitored without any intervention. Flow cytometry of innate lymphoid cell (ILC), natural killer cell, monocyte cell, and dendritic cell (DC) subsets was performed at baseline, 3 months (birch season), 6 months (grass seasons), and 12 months after the therapy in patients or at similar seasonal time points in controls. Additional analyses were performed in the third-year birch and grass season.

Results: We observed a durable decrease in group 2 ILCs and an increase of group 1 ILCs after AIT, with dynamic changes in their composition. We found that an expansion of CD127⁺CD25⁺⁺ clusters caused observed shifts in the heterogeneity of group 1 ILCs. In addition, we observed development of CD127⁺CD25⁺⁺c-Kit⁺ group 3 ILC clusters. Moreover, we found an increase in the number of intermediate monocytes in parallel with a reduction in nonclassical monocytes during the first year after AIT. Classical and intermediate monocytes presented significant heterogeneity in patients with allergy, but AIT reduced the HLA-DR⁺⁺ clusters. Finally, an increase in plasmacytoid DCs and CD141⁺ myeloid DCs was observed in individuals with allergy, whereas the number of CD1c⁺ myeloid DCs was reduced during the first year of AIT.

Conclusion: AIT induces changes in the composition and heterogeneity of circulating innate immune cells and brings them to the level observed in healthy individuals. Monitoring of ILCs, monocytes, and DCs during AIT might serve as a novel biomarker strategy.

Keywords: Allergen immunotherapy; DCs; ILC; NK cells; antigen-presenting cells; innate immune cells; monocytes.

Publication types

Controlled Clinical Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Betula / immunology
Dendritic Cells / immunology*
Desensitization, Immunologic*
Female
Humans
Immune Tolerance
Immunity, Innate
Lymphocytes / immunology*
Male
Middle Aged
Monocytes / immunology*
Poaceae / immunology
Pollen / immunology
Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / immunology
Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / therapy*
Young Adult