EXPRESSION OF LYMPHOCYTES FC-EPSILON-RII/CD23 IN ALLERGIC CHILDREN UNDERGOING HYPOSENSITIZATION

Owing to the proposed role of FcepsilonRII/CD23 in allergic diseases, we analyzed the expression of this receptor on peripheral blood lymphocytes (pan-B, pan-T and CD4+ or CD8+ T cells) and its autoproteolytic product sCD23 in serum. This was done in 10 asthmatic children allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) before and 6 weeks after hyposensitization. FACS analysis of double, direct immunofluorescence staining of the whole blood revealed an elevated percentage of FcepsilonRII/CD23+ lymphocytes in allergic children (10.29 +/- 5.0), a significantly higher percentage than in nonallergic children (5.7 +/- 2.4, p < 0.05). The majority of FcepsilonRII/CD23+ were on B cells. A significant positive correlation between the percentages of CD23+ lymphocytes and serum IgE levels was found (Spearman rank = 0.63, p < 0.05). The percentage of CD20+CD23+ lymphocytes significantly decreased after 6 weeks of hyposensitization (6.2 +/- 3.6, p < 0.05), while the percentage of CD20+ lymphocytes remained unchanged. Similarly, hyposensitization was followed by a reduction of total serum IgE levels, but Dpt-specific IgG4 and IgE remained unchanged.