Mouse follicular and marginal zone B cells show differential expression of Dnmt3a and sensitivity to 5'-azacytidine.
Mature B cells in the spleen of mouse and human comprise of two main subsets, the follicular (Fo) B cells and the marginal zone (MZ) B cells. In this study, we report that Fo and MZ B cells express different levels of DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a. By using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, we found that Fo B cells expressed high level of Dnmt3a while MZ B cells expressed little. Treatment of mice by in vivo administration of 5'-azacytidine, an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferases, induced B cell loss in both the bone marrow and the spleen. We noticed that this treatment resulted in a much faster and more severe disappearance of Fo B cells than MZ B cells in the spleen. Further analysis showed that MZ progenitors increased significantly in mice treated with 5'-azacytidine. These results suggest that epigenetic mechanisms involving Dnmt3a might participate in the development of B cells including the differentiation of Fo B cells and MZ B cells in the periphery.
State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Yaochun
Y
Wang
Ping
P
Zhang
Wei
W
Li
Lihong
L
Hou
Jishu
J
Wang
Yingmin
Y
Liang
Hua
H
Han
D000818:Animals; D001374:Azacitidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090205:DNA Methyltransferase 3A; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D013154:Spleen / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology*
C000717967:DNMT3A protein, human; C000715535:Dnmt3a protein, mouse; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases; D000090205:DNA Methyltransferase 3A; D001374:Azacitidine