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The following is a summary of “Nasal polyp antibody-secreting cells display proliferation signature in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease,” published in the February 2024 issue of Allergy & Immunology by Sohail, et al.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) leads to nasal obstruction and impaired sense of smell. Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) encompasses CRSwNP, asthma, and reactions to COX-1 inhibitors. Patients with AERD exhibit elevated nasal IL-5 levels and increased numbers of antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) in their polyp tissue, with higher IgE levels correlating with disease severity and recurrence. For a study, researchers sought to explore differences in the transcriptomic profile, activation markers, and IL-5Rα expression and function of ASCs within nasal polyps (NP) between patients with AERD and CRSwNP.

Nasal polyp tissue samples were collected from patients diagnosed with AERD and CRSwNP, processed into single-cell suspensions, and analyzed for protein expression using mass cytometry. For IL-5Rα functional studies, plasma cells were isolated and cultured with or without IL-5, followed by bulk RNA sequencing analysis.

Patients with AERD exhibited significantly higher ASC counts and increased expression of IL-5Rα in their polyp tissue compared to CRSwNP patients. AERD patients’ ASCs showed elevated protein markers associated with B-cell activation and regulation (CD40, CD19, CD32, CD38) and the proliferation marker Ki-67. Furthermore, AERD patients’ ASCs expressed higher levels of IL5RA, IGHE, and transcripts related to cell cycle and proliferation (CCND2, MKI67, CDC25A, CDC25B) than CRSwNP patients. Stimulation of AERD patients’ plasma cells with IL-5 induced expression of key cell cycle genes (CCND2, PTP4A3), while IL-5 stimulation of CRSwNP patients’ ASCs caused minimal transcriptomic changes.

ASCs within nasal polyps of AERD patients exhibit increased functional IL-5Rα expression and markers associated with cell cycling and proliferation compared to those from CRSwNP patients.

Reference: jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(23)01380-5/abstract