Plasma Signaling Factors in Patients With Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) Correlate With Relative Frequencies of LCH Cells and T Cells Within Lesions

Jenée Mitchell; Egle Kvedaraite; Tatiana von Bahr Greenwood; Magda Lourda; Jan-Inge Henter; Stuart P Berzins; George Kannourakis

doi:10.3389/fped.2022.872859

Plasma Signaling Factors in Patients With Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) Correlate With Relative Frequencies of LCH Cells and T Cells Within Lesions

Front Pediatr. 2022 Jun 29:10:872859. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.872859. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jenée Mitchell^{1

2}, Egle Kvedaraite^{3

4

5}, Tatiana von Bahr Greenwood^{3

6}, Magda Lourda^{3

4}, Jan-Inge Henter^{3

6}, Stuart P Berzins^{1

2}, George Kannourakis^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, Ballarat, VIC, Australia.
² School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, VIC, Australia.
³ Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴ Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁶ Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) lesions contain an inflammatory infiltrate of immune cells including myeloid-derived LCH cells. Cell-signaling proteins within the lesion environment suggest that LCH cells and T cells contribute majorly to the inflammation. Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are enriched in lesions and blood from patients with LCH and are likely involved in LCH pathogenesis. In contrast, mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are reduced in blood from these patients and the consequence of this is unknown. Serum/plasma levels of cytokines have been associated with LCH disease extent and may play a role in the recruitment of cells to lesions. We investigated whether plasma signaling factors differed between patients with active and non-active LCH. Cell-signaling factors (38 analytes total) were measured in patient plasma and cell populations from matched lesions and/or peripheral blood were enumerated. This study aimed at understanding whether plasma factors corresponded with LCH cells and/or LCH-associated T cell subsets in patients with LCH. We identified several associations between plasma factors and lesional/circulating immune cell populations, thus highlighting new factors as potentially important in LCH pathogenesis. This study highlights plasma cell-signaling factors that are associated with LCH cells, MAIT cells or Tregs in patients, thus they are potentially important in LCH pathogenesis. Further study into these associations is needed to determine whether these factors may become suitable prognostic indicators or therapeutic targets to benefit patients.

Keywords: FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg); LCH cells; Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH); T cells; active TGF-β; cytokines; mucosal associated invariant T cells (MAIT).