Maryam Jafari, 240: No financial relationships to disclose
Introduction/Rationale: Glycosylation of nucleocytoplasmic proteins (O-GlcNAcylation) is a posttranslational modification that has emerged as a novel determinant of immune cell metabolism, development, and function in different inflammatory processes. Nevertheless, O-GlcNAcylation remains unexplored in the context of allergy.
Methods: O-GlcNAcylation of nucleocytoplasmic proteins was quantified via flow cytometry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from two independent cohorts of patients with pollen-induced seasonal AR and healthy controls. In cohort 1, samples were collected from 13 AR patients and 12 healthy controls in the fall, after the natural pollen season. In cohort 2, paired samples were collected from 10 AR patients during and after the natural pollen season, and samples from 10 healthy controls were also collected after the natural pollen season.
Results: T cell O-GlcNAcylation was markedly increased in samples from AR patients after the natural pollen season in both cohorts compared to healthy controls and paired samples collected during the pollen season. No alterations in the proportions of different subsets of helper or cytotoxic T cells were observed.
Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to identify an alteration in T cell O-GlcNAcylation in allergic patients.
