Adult allergic rhinitis sufferers have unique nasal mucosal and peripheral blood immune gene expression profiles: A case–control study

Abstract

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a complex disease involving both mucosal and systemic immune compartments. Greater understanding of the immune networks underpinning AR pathophysiology may assist with further refining disease-specific biomarkers. Objective: To compare immune gene expression profiles in nasal mucosa and peripheral blood samples between adults with AR and controls without AR. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 45 adults with moderate-severe and persistent AR (37.6 ± 12.8 years; mean ± SD) and 24 adults without AR (36.6 ± 10.2). Gene expression analysis was performed using the NanoString nCounter PanCancer Immune profiling panel (n = 730 immune genes) in combination with the panel plus probe set (n = 30 allergy-related genes) with purified RNA from peripheral blood and cell lysates prepared from combined nasal lavage and nasal brushing. Results: One hundred and thirteen genes were significantly differentially expressed in peripheral blood samples between groups (p