Nasal RAG1- and RAG2-Expressing Cells May Suggest the Nose As A Tertiary Lymphoid Organ

Abstract

RATIONALE: Receptor editing involves activation of RAG1 & RAG2 within B- and T-cells to initiate V(D)J recombination in the immunoglobulin & TCR loci in the bone marrow and thymus respectively, resulting in elimination of autoreactive cells. Receptor revision in contrast occurs along with somatic hypermutation in secondary lymphoid tissues. To investigate whether receptor revision occurs in the respiratory tract, we measured RAG1 and RAG2 expression in CD20+, CD138+ and CD3+cells in the nasal mucosa in chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps (NP), allergic rhinitis (AR) and normal controls (NC).