2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Seasonal changes in antigen-specific T-helper clone sizes and their memory functions in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis
| Project/Area Number |
19591957
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Otorhinolaryngology
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| Research Institution | Chiba University |
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Principal Investigator |
HORIGUCHI Shigetoshi Chiba University, 大学院・医学研究院, 講師 (30293468)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
OKAMOTO Yoshitaka 千葉大学, 大学院・医学研究院, 教授 (40169157)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2007 – 2009
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| Keywords | アレルギー / ぜんそく |
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| Research Abstract |
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a typical type I allergic disease that occurs through the induction of allergen-specific effector T cells. Once established, new effector T cells derive mostly from memory T cells that are capable of surviving for extended periods, although the mechanisms by which these memory functions are maintained have not yet been clarified. In particular, the exact life-span of memory T cells is still not well understood.
We compared the seasonal changes in memory T-helper type 2 (Th2) between pollinosis and perennial allergic subjects. The Japanese cedar-specific IL-4-producing Th2 memory cells increased during the pollen season and decreased during the off-season. However, more than 60% of the cedar-specific memory Th2 cells survived up to 8 months after the pollen season. While pollen-specific Th cells decreased after pollen exposure, their memory functions continued. Memory clone size maintenance therefore requires repetitive antigen irritation.
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