Standard and immunoproteasome expression in pediatric tonsillectomy patients.

Background: Pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α and IFN-γ, play an important role during the recurrent tonsillitis illness and proteasome and immunoproteasome stimulation.

Methods: mRNA expression analysis of proteasome and immunoproteasome subunits was performed by PBMC whole blood isolation from children tonsillectomy patients. Total RNA was extracted from PBMC and retro-transcribed in cDNA. A real-time PCR with TaqMan probe was then performed.

Results: PBMC of children with tonsillectomy showed, a significantly increased expression of proteasome constitutive subunit β2 encoding (1.52±0.61 vs. 0.88±0.5, P<0.0001) compared to healthy controls (HC). The same results were observed for immunoproteasome inducible subunit LMP2 (2.55±1.95 vs. 0.73±0.49, P<0.001), LMP7 (1.94±1.18 vs. 0.79±0.41, P<0.001), MECL1 (1.97±1.20 vs. 0.79±0.41, P<0.001). No differences were observed for proteasome subunit β1. Conversely a significantly decreased expression of proteasome constitutive subunit β5 encoding mRNA (0.96±0.39 vs. 1.28±0.65, P=0.0291) was observed.

Conclusions: In children with recurrent tonsillitis was observed an increased expression of β2, the corresponding iPS, β1i and β5i compared to healthy controls. Contrariwise β5 subunit mRNA expression was significantly decreased.