The Imbalance of FOXP3/GATA3 in Regulatory T Cells from the Peripheral Blood of Asthmatic Patients

Background. Treg cells play an important role in the pathogenic progress of asthma. Objective. To address the alterations of Treg cells in asthma. Methods. Proliferation-and function-associated markers of Treg cells along with the percentage of Treg cells producing some cytokine from asthmatics and healthy subjects were analyzed by flow cytometry. Besides, the expressions of USP21 and PIM2 in Treg cells were measured by cell immunochemistry after Treg cells were sorted. Results. Treg cells from asthmatic patients showed lower proliferation activity and were more likely to be apoptotic. These cells expressed lower levels of GITR, CTLA-4, Nrp-1, and IL-10 compared to those from the healthy control. Th2-like Treg cells increased in asthmatic patients, while the percentage of IFN-r