Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
The interaction of genetic and environmental contributions to immunological traits and their association with atopic disease remain unclear. Flow cytometry and in vitro cytokine responses were used to characterize immune profiles from 93 school-aged twin pairs. Using an established twin pair analytical strategy, the genetic and environmental influences on immunological traits were evaluated, along with their association with atopy. Our findings suggest strong genetic influence on several traits, particularly B cell abundance. In contrast, cytokine responses from in vitro stimulations appeared mainly shaped by environmental exposures. Regarding associations with atopy, greater abundance of both B cells and basophils were observed in atopic individuals as well as increased expression of the immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor. Genetic influence appeared central to regulating IgE receptor expression on basophils, whereas expression on dendritic cells instead appeared sensitive to environmental exposures. Identifying environmentally regulated immune traits may facilitate the development of targeted therapies to limit the impact of atopic disease in the future.
Keywords
Genetics, immune profiles, atopy, cytokine responses, environmental exposure, IgE receptor
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
7-18-2025
Volume
11
Issue
29
PubMed ID
40668915
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
School
Graduate Research School
Funding Information
The study was funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1063394), The University of Western Australia, and the Kids Research Institute Australia. J.L. was supported by fellowships from the WA Future Health Research and Innovation fund as well as the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation. A.B. was supported by a Fellowship from the Simon Lee Foundation, and D.H.S. was supported by a fellowship from the Kids Research Institute Australia.
Funding received from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
APP1063394
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Leffler, J., Read, J. F., Mok, D., Serralha, M., Bosco, A., Holt, P. G., Saffery, R., & Strickland, D. H. (2025). Atopy-related immune profiles are subject to genetic influence as evaluated using school-aged twin pairs. Science Advances, 11(29). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads8033
Comments
Leffler, J., Read, J. F., Mok, D., Serralha, M., Bosco, A., Holt, P. G., Saffery, R., & Strickland, D. H. (2025). Atopy-related immune profiles are subject to genetic influence as evaluated using school-aged twin pairs. Science Advances, 11(29). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads8033