Constitutive Changes in Circulating Follicular Helper T Cells and Their Subsets in Patients with Graves’ Disease

Figure 3

Expanded frequency of circulating plasma cells in GD patients. Human PBMCs from GD patients (BT: 36; AT: 21) and 20 HC were stained with anti-CD19, anti-CD38, and anti-CD27. (a) The cells were gated initially on lymphocytes and then on CD19⁺B cells; afterwards, the numbers of CD27^highCD38^high PCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. (b) Changes in PCs in GD patients. (c) Relation of PC proportions and serum TPO-Ab levels in GD patients. (d) Relation of Tfh2 subset proportions with PCs in GD patients. (e) The correlation between the proportions of PCs and ICOS⁺Tfh cells in GD patients. (f) The correlation between the proportions of PCs and PD-1⁺Tfh cells in GD patients. , , and ; ns: no significant difference.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)