Bim establishes the B-cell repertoire from early to late in the immune response

Author(s):  
Akiko Sugimoto-Ishige ◽  
Michishige Harada ◽  
Miho Tanaka ◽  
Tommy Terooatea ◽  
Yu Adachi ◽  
...  

Abstract In T cell-dependent antibody responses, some of the activated B cells differentiate along extrafollicular pathways into low-affinity memory and plasma cells, whereas others are involved in subsequent germinal center (GC) formation in follicular pathways, in which somatic hypermutation and affinity maturation occur. The present study demonstrated that Bim, a proapoptotic BH3-only member of the Bcl-2 family, contributes to the establishment of the B-cell repertoire from early to late stages of immune responses to T cell-dependent antigens. Extrafollicular plasma cells grew in the spleen during the early immune response, but their numbers rapidly declined with the appearance of GC-derived progeny in wild-type mice. By contrast, conditional Bim deficiency in B cells resulted in expansion of extrafollicular IgG1+ antibody-forming cells (AFCs) and this expansion was sustained during the late response, which hampered the formation of GC-derived high-affinity plasma cells in the spleen. Approximately 10% of AFCs in mutant mice contained mutated VH genes; thus, Bim deficiency appears not to impede the selection of high-affinity AFC precursor cells. These results suggest that Bim contributes to the replacement of low-affinity antibody by high-affinity antibody as the immune response progresses.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinako Nakagawa ◽  
Dinis Pedro Calado

Germinal centers (GCs) are essential sites for the production of high-affinity antibody secreting plasma cells (PCs) and memory-B cells (MBCs), which form the framework of vaccination. Affinity maturation and permissive selection in GCs are key for the production of PCs and MBCs, respectively. For these purposes, GCs positively select “fit” cells in the light zone of the GC and instructs them for one of three known B cell fates: PCs, MBCs and persistent GC-B cells as dark zone entrants. In this review, we provide an overview of the positive selection process and discuss its mechanisms and how B cell fates are instructed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Elsner ◽  
Christine J. Hastey ◽  
Nicole Baumgarth

CD4 T cells are crucial for enhancing B cell-mediated immunity, supporting the induction of high-affinity, class-switched antibody responses, long-lived plasma cells, and memory B cells. Previous studies showed that the immune response toBorrelia burgdorferiappears to lack robust T-dependent B cell responses, as neither long-lived plasma cells nor memory B cells form for months after infection, and nonswitched IgM antibodies are produced continuously during this chronic disease. These data prompted us to evaluate the induction and functionality ofB. burgdorferiinfection-induced CD4 TFHcells. We report that CD4 T cells were effectively primed and TFHcells induced afterB. burgdorferiinfection. These CD4 T cells contributed to the control ofB. burgdorferiburden and supported the induction ofB. burgdorferi-specific IgG responses. However, while affinity maturation of antibodies against a prototypic T-dependentB. burgdorferiprotein, Arthritis-related protein (Arp), were initiated, these increases were reversed later, coinciding with the previously observed involution of germinal centers. The cessation of affinity maturation was not due to the appearance of inhibitory or exhausted CD4 T cells or a strong induction of regulatory T cells.In vitroT-B cocultures demonstrated that T cells isolated fromB. burgdorferi-infected but notB. burgdorferi-immunized mice supported the rapid differentiation of B cells into antibody-secreting plasma cells rather than continued proliferation, mirroring the induction of rapid short-lived instead of long-lived T-dependent antibody responsesin vivo. The data further suggest thatB. burgdorferiinfection drives the humoral response away from protective, high-affinity, and long-lived antibody responses and toward the rapid induction of strongly induced, short-lived antibodies of limited efficacy.


2013 ◽  
Vol 210 (9) ◽  
pp. 1665-1674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Vossenkämper ◽  
Paul A. Blair ◽  
Niloufar Safinia ◽  
Louise D. Fraser ◽  
Lisa Das ◽  
...  

We have tracked the fate of immature human B cells at a critical stage in their development when the mature B cell repertoire is shaped. We show that a major subset of bone marrow emigrant immature human B cells, the transitional 2 (T2) B cells, homes to gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and that most T2 B cells isolated from human GALT are activated. Activation in GALT is a previously unknown potential fate for immature human B cells. The process of maturation from immature transitional B cell through to mature naive B cell includes the removal of autoreactive cells from the developing repertoire, a process which is known to fail in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We observe that immature B cells in SLE are poorly equipped to access the gut and that gut immune compartments are depleted in SLE. Thus, activation of immature B cells in GALT may function as a checkpoint that protects against autoimmunity. In healthy individuals, this pathway may be involved in generating the vast population of IgA plasma cells and also the enigmatic marginal zone B cell subset that is poorly understood in humans.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (24) ◽  
pp. 6231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Y. H. Yap ◽  
Tak Mao Chan

Abnormalities in B cells play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN). Breach in central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms generates autoreactive B cells which contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE and LN. Dysregulation of B cell transcription factors, cytokines and B cell–T cell interaction can result in aberrant B cell maturation and autoantibody production. These immunological abnormalities also lead to perturbations in circulating and infiltrating B cells in SLE and LN patients. Conventional and novel immunosuppressive medications confer differential effects on B cells which have important clinical implications. While cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) showed comparable clinical efficacy in active LN, MMF induction was associated with earlier reduction in circulating plasmablasts and plasma cells. Accumulating evidence suggests that MMF maintenance is associated with lower risk of disease relapse than azathioprine, which may be explained by its more potent and selective suppression of B cell proliferation. Novel therapeutic approaches targeting the B cell repertoire include B cell depletion with monoclonal antibodies binding to cell surface markers, inhibition of B cell cytokines, and modulation of costimulatory signals in B cell–T cell interaction. These biologics, despite showing improvements in serological parameters and proteinuria, did not achieve primary endpoints when used as add-on therapy to standard treatments in active LN patients. Other emerging treatments such as calcineurin inhibitors, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors and proteasome inhibitors also show distinct inhibitory effects on the B cell repertoire. Advancement in the knowledge on B cell biology has fueled the development of new therapeutic strategies in SLE and LN. Modification in background treatments, study endpoints and selective recruitment of subjects showing aberrant B cells or its signaling pathways when designing future clinical trials may better elucidate the roles of these novel therapies for SLE and LN patients.


1978 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 776-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
M P Cancro ◽  
W Gerhard ◽  
N R Klinman

The primary immune response of BALB/c mice to influenza (PR8) hemagglutinin (HA), a complex protein antigen, has been examined by the splenic focus assay, and the resulting monoclonal anti-HA antibodies have been characterized by their reactivity with heterologous viruses. The analysis of the primary B-cell response to HA revealed marked differences from responses previously defined for haptenic determinants. There were following differences: (a) the frequency of HA-specific B cells in both conventional and germ-free BALB/c mice was 1 in 1.0-1.5 X 10(5) splenic B cells, which is substantially lower than the frequency of B cells responsive to various simple haptenic determinants; (b) monoclonal anti-HA antibodies were predominantly of the IgA or IgM isotypes instead of IgG, which dominates antihapten responses; and (c) after immunization, the frequency of anti-HA-specific B cells increases by 10- to 50-fold, which is much greater increase than that observed after immunization with haptenic determinants. Fine specificity analysis of primary monoclonal HA-specific antibodies revealed extensive diversity and a considerable overlap with the specificities obtained from immune mice. Given the low overall frequency of HA-specific B cells, it could be calculated that the representation of most HA-specific clonotypes within the B-cell repertoire could not exceed 1 in 10(7) B cells. These findings indicate that the primary B-cell clonotype repertoire is extremely diverse and largely antigen independent in its generation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (48) ◽  
pp. 30649-30660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoyi Jiang ◽  
Kenneth B. Hoehn ◽  
Casey S. Lee ◽  
Minh C. Pham ◽  
Robert J. Homer ◽  
...  

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular, autoimmune disease caused by autoantibodies that target postsynaptic proteins, primarily the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and inhibit signaling at the neuromuscular junction. The majority of patients under 50 y with AChR autoantibody MG have thymic lymphofollicular hyperplasia. The MG thymus is a reservoir of plasma cells that secrete disease-causing AChR autoantibodies and although thymectomy improves clinical scores, many patients fail to achieve complete stable remission without additional immunosuppressive treatments. We speculate that thymus-associated B cells and plasma cells persist in the circulation after thymectomy and that their persistence could explain incomplete responses to resection. We studied patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial and used complementary modalities of B cell repertoire sequencing to characterize the thymus B cell repertoire and identify B cell clones that resided in the thymus and circulation before and 12 mo after thymectomy. Thymus-associated B cell clones were detected in the circulation by both mRNA-based and genomic DNA-based sequencing. These antigen-experienced B cells persisted in the circulation after thymectomy. Many circulating thymus-associated B cell clones were inferred to have originated and initially matured in the thymus before emigration from the thymus to the circulation. The persistence of thymus-associated B cells correlated with less favorable changes in clinical symptom measures, steroid dose required to manage symptoms, and marginal changes in AChR autoantibody titer. This investigation indicates that the diminished clinical response to thymectomy is related to persistent circulating thymus-associated B cell clones.


2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (6) ◽  
pp. 1331-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Weller ◽  
Maria Mamani-Matsuda ◽  
Capucine Picard ◽  
Corinne Cordier ◽  
Damiana Lecoeuche ◽  
...  

T cell–dependent immune responses develop soon after birth, whereas it takes 2 yr for humans to develop T cell–independent responses. We used this dissociation to analyze the repertoire diversification of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells (also known as “IgM memory” B cells), comparing these cells with switched B cells in children <2 yr of age, with the aim of determining whether these two subsets are developmentally related. We show that the repertoire of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells in the spleen and blood displays no sign of antigen-driven activation and expansion on H-CDR3 spectratyping, despite the many antigenic challenges provided by childhood vaccinations. This repertoire differed markedly from those of switched B cells and splenic germinal center B cells, even at the early stage of differentiation associated with μ heavy chain expression. These data provide evidence for the developmental diversification of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells, at least in very young children, outside of T cell–dependent and –independent immune responses.


Author(s):  
Casper Marsman ◽  
Dorit Verhoeven

Background/methods: For mechanistic studies, in vitro human B cell differentiation and generation of plasma cells are invaluable techniques. However, the heterogeneity of both T cell-dependent (TD) and T cell-independent (TI) stimuli and the disparity of culture conditions used in existing protocols makes interpretation of results challenging. The aim of the present study was to achieve the most optimal B cell differentiation conditions using isolated CD19+ B cells and PBMC cultures. We addressed multiple seeding densities, different durations of culturing and various combinations of TD stimuli and TI stimuli including B cell receptor (BCR) triggering. B cell expansion, proliferation and differentiation was analyzed after 6 and 9 days by measuring B cell proliferation and expansion, plasmablast and plasma cell formation and immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion. In addition, these conditions were extrapolated using cryopreserved cells and differentiation potential was compared. Results: This study demonstrates improved differentiation efficiency after 9 days of culturing for both B cell and PBMC cultures using CD40L and IL-21 as TD stimuli and 6 days for CpG and IL-2 as TI stimuli. We arrived at optimized protocols requiring 2500 and 25.000 B cells per culture well for TD and TI assays, respectively. The results of the PBMC cultures were highly comparable to the B cell cultures, which allows dismissal of additional B cell isolation steps prior to culturing. In these optimized TD conditions, the addition of anti-BCR showed little effect on phenotypic B cell differentiation, however it interferes with Ig secretion measurements. Addition of IL-4 to the TD stimuli showed significantly lower Ig secretion. The addition of BAFF to optimized TI conditions showed enhanced B cell differentiation and Ig secretion in B cell but not in PBMC cultures. With this approach, efficient B cell differentiation and Ig secretion was accomplished when starting from fresh or cryopreserved samples. Conclusion: Our methodology demonstrates optimized TD and TI stimulation protocols for more indepth analysis of B cell differentiation in primary human B cell and PBMC cultures while requiring low amounts of B cells, making them ideally suited for future clinical and research studies on B cell differentiation of patient samples from different cohorts of B cell-mediated diseases.


2000 ◽  
Vol 192 (7) ◽  
pp. 953-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard K.G. Do ◽  
Eunice Hatada ◽  
Hayyoung Lee ◽  
Michelle R. Tourigny ◽  
David Hilbert ◽  
...  

B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) is a newly identified monocyte-specific TNF family cytokine. It has been implicated in the development of autoimmunity, and functions as a potent costimulator with antiimmunoglobulin M in B cell proliferation in vitro. Here we demonstrate that BLyS prominently enhances the humoral responses to both T cell–independent and T cell–dependent antigens, primarily by attenuation of apoptosis as evidenced by the prolonged survival of antigen-activated B cells in vivo and in vitro. BLyS acts on primary splenic B cells autonomously, and directly cooperates with CD40 ligand (CD40L) in B cell activation in vitro by protecting replicating B cells from apoptosis. Moreover, although BLyS alone cannot activate the cell cycle, it is sufficient to prolong the survival of naive resting B cells in vitro. Attenuation of apoptosis by BLyS correlates with changes in the ratios between Bcl-2 family proteins in favor of cell survival, predominantly by reducing the proapoptotic Bak and increasing its prosurvival partners, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. In either resting or CD40L-activated B cells, the NF-κB transcription factors RelB and p50 are specifically activated, suggesting that they may mediate BLyS signals for B cell survival. Together, these results provide direct evidence for BLyS enhancement of both T cell–independent and T cell–dependent humoral immune responses, and imply a role for BLyS in the conservation of the B cell repertoire. The ability of BLyS to increase B cell survival indiscriminately, at either a resting or activated state, and to cooperate with CD40L, further suggests that attenuation of apoptosis underlies BLyS enhancement of polyclonal autoimmunity as well as the physiologic humoral immune response.


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