CXCL13 is required for B1 cell homing, natural antibody production, and body cavity immunity.
B1 cells are a predominant cell type in body cavities and an important source of natural antibody. Here we report that in mice lacking the chemokine, CXCL13, B1 cells are deficient in peritoneal and pleural cavities but not in spleen. CXCL13 is produced by cells in the omentum and by peritoneal macrophages, and in adoptive transfers, B1 cells home to the omentum and the peritoneal cavity in a CXCL13-dependent manner. CXCL13(-/-) mice are deficient in preexisting phosphorylcholine (PC)-specific antibodies and in their ability to mount an anti-PC response to peritoneal streptococcal antigen. These findings provide insight into the mechanism of B1 cell homing and establish a critical role for B1 cell compartmentalization in the production of natural antibodies and for body cavity immunity.
Ansel
K Mark
KM
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Harris
Ruth B S
RB
Cyster
Jason G
JG
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement; D054382:Chemokine CXCL13; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009852:Omentum / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D010227:Parabiosis; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
D054382:Chemokine CXCL13; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; C486386:Cxcl13 protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger