A positive feedback loop reinforces the allergic immune response in human peanut allergy
Xiaoying Zhou, Wong Yu, Shu‐Chen Lyu, Claudia Macaubas, Bryan Bunning, Ziyuan He, Elizabeth Mellins, Kari C. Nadeau
Abstract
Food allergies are a leading cause of anaphylaxis, and cellular mechanisms involving antigen presentation likely play key roles in their pathogenesis. However, little is known about the response of specific antigen-presenting cell (APC) subsets to food allergens in the setting of food allergies. Here, we show that in peanut-allergic humans, peanut allergen drives the differentiation of CD209+ monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and CD23+ (FcєRII) myeloid dendritic cells through the action of allergen-specific CD4+ T cells. CD209+ DCs act reciprocally on the same peanut-specific CD4+ T cell population to reinforce Th2 cytokine expression in a positive feedback loop, which may explain the persistence of established food allergy. In support of this novel model, we show clinically that the initiation of oral immunotherapy (OIT) in peanut-allergic patients is associated with a decrease in CD209+ DCs, suggesting that breaking the cycle of positive feedback is associated with therapeutic effect.