Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2024. Vol. 69. № 5

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2024-69-5-59-65

A.I. Kotikova, V.S. Nikiforov, E.A. Blinova, A.V. Akleyev

Assessment of T-Regulatory Cell Population and Foxp3 Gene Expression in Chronically Exposed Residents of the Urals Region 

Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Contact person: Alisa Igorevna Kotikova, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Abstract 

Purpose:  To conduct a pilot study on the quantity of regulatory T-cells (Treg) in the peripheral blood and to assess transcriptional activity of FOXP3 gene in chronically exposed persons.  

Material and methods: The study included 77 participants who were divided into two groups: exposed people – 45 individuals, with an average accumulated dose to red bone marrow (RBM) of 641.21±80.41 mGy, and a comparison group – 32 individuals, with an average accumulated RBM dose of 20.38±2.51 mGy. The study on the assessment of FOXP3 gene expression was conducted on 298 individuals: the irradiated group consisted of 163 individuals with an average accumulated dose to RBM of 702±43.10 mGy; the comparison group included 135 individuals with an average accumulated dose to RBM of 17.30±1.40 mGy. The study groups did not differ significantly by age, sex and ethnicity. Quantitative assessment of regulatory T-cells in the peripheral blood was performed using flow cytometry method by the presence of T-helper markers CD3 and CD4, high expression of marker CD25 and low expression of marker CD127. Thus, the phenotype of T-regulatory lymphocytes was described as CD3+CD4+CD25highCD127low. The relative mRNA content of the FOXP3 gene was assessed by PCR-RT.

Results: More than 70 years after the onset of chronic radiation, no statistically significant changes in the pool of regulatory T-cells were detected in the exposed persons: the content of absolute and relative amount of Treg did not differ statistically significantly between the studied groups (p=0.91 and p=0.29, respectively); no statistically significant relationship of Treg indices with the accumulated doses to RBM and thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs were found. No statistically significant differences in FOXP3 gene mRNA expression were found between exposed individuals and the comparison group. A linear positive dependence of FOXP3 gene mRNA expression on the relative number of regulatory T-cells was shown (p=0.007).

Keywords: chronic exposure, regulatory T cells, immunity, gene expression, FOXP3

For citation: Kotikova AI, Nikiforov VS, Blinova EA, Akleyev AV. Assessment of T-Regulatory Cell Population and Foxp3 Gene Expression in Chronically Exposed Residents of the Urals Region. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2024;69(5):59–65. (In Russian). DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2024-69-5-59-65

 

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Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Financing. The work was carried out as part of the: «Study on the effect of chronic radiation exposure on the state of the human T-cell immune system».

Contribution. Kotikova AI ‒ laboratory research, statistical processing, article authoring; Nikiforov VS – laboratory research, statistical processing, article authoring; Blinova EA ‒ article authoring; Akleyev AV ‒ development of the research concept, scientific supervision, article authoring.

Article received: 20.05.2024. Accepted for publication: 25.06.2024.