Circulating Memory T Follicular Helper Cells in Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica/Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders

Figure 1

FACS analysis of circulating memory Tfh cells and ICOS⁺ memory Tfh cells in individual participants. PBMCs were isolated from individual participants and stained with different fluorescent antibodies. The cells were gated on lymphocytes, CD3⁺ and CD4⁺, and then CXCR5⁺ and CD45RA⁻ cells. The percentage of CD3⁺CD4⁺CXCR5⁺CD45RA⁻ (memory) Tfh cells was determined. Subsequently, memory Tfh cells were gated on ICOS. We analyzed the percentages of memory Tfh and ICOS⁺ memory Tfh cells in lymphocytes and calculated the numbers of each subtype of cells in total lymphocytes per liter. (a) Flow cytometric analysis. ((b)-(c)) The percentages of memory Tfh cells and ICOS⁺ memory Tfh cells in HCs and untreated NMO/NMOSD patients. ((d)-(e)) The numbers of memory Tfh cells and ICOS⁺ memory Tfh cells in HCs and untreated NMO/NMOSD patients. The horizontal lines indicate the median values for each group.

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