Scientists pinpoint cells that trigger allergic reactions

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Researchers now finally know what part of the human immune system is to blame when we get an allergy.

Though TH2 cells were already known to be in charge of immune reaction, a new study nails down the range to a specific group of cells. This may help researchers pinpoint why people get allergies, and how to treat and heal them.

Allergies stem from mistaken identity, when a group of T cells known as TH2 cells react to allergens like pollen, mold spores, and certain foods. But besides the benign substances, TH2 cells also fight against invaders, making it necessary for us to identify the specific cell that causes allergies in order to treat it.

A T cell. /VCG Photo

In a new study led by T cell biologist Erik Wambre and immunologist William Kwok of the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason in Seattle, Washington, researchers marked TH2 cells with a fluorescent protein.

They analyzed the tagged cells after exposure to pollen from alder trees (one kind of allergen) to determine their combination of markers. A group named TH2A cells remained distinct in this experiment, showing that they cause allergies.

The team then found TH2A cells abundant in the blood of patients with allergies but absent from people who are not sensitive. Among a group of patients allergic to peanuts who went through immunotherapy, the number of their TH2A cells fell by 90 percent after the treatment, according to Wambre.

Patients with allergies have more TH2A cells and the number of TH2A cell drops after recovery. /VCG Photo

Kwok says that the evidence he and his colleagues have accumulated suggests that “people with allergies make this specific subset of T cells that probably lead to allergic symptoms.” By eliminating the number of cells in the human body, scientists may find new ways to cure allergies.

The result of the research was published in Science Translational Medicine on August 2.

(CGTN intern Zhou Jingwen contributed to this story.)