title: Spontaneous autoreactive memory B cell formation driven by a high frequency of autoreactive CD4+ T cells.
abstract: Although somatically mutated autoantibodies are characteristic of many autoimmune diseases, the processes that can lead to their development remain poorly understood. We have examined the formation of autoreactive memory B cells in PevHA mice, which express the influenza virus PR8 hemagglutinin (HA) as a transgenic membrane bound neo-self-Ag. Using a virus immunization strategy, we show that PR8 HA-specific memory B cell formation can occur in PevHA mice, even though a major subset of PR8 HA-specific B cells is negatively selected from the primary repertoire. Moreover, PR8 HA-specific memory B cells develop spontaneously in TS1 x PevHA mice, which coexpress a transgenic PR8 HA-specific TCR and contain a high frequency of HA-specific CD4(+) T cells. Notably, autoreactive memory B cell formation occurred in TS1 x PevHA mice even though approximately half of the HA-specific CD4(+) T cells were CD25(+)Foxp3(+) cells that could significantly attenuate, but did not completely abolish HA-specific autoantibody production in an adoptive transfer setting. The findings provide evidence that a high frequency of autoreactive CD4(+) T cells can be sufficient to promote autoreactive memory B cell formation in the absence of signals provided by overt immunization or infection and despite the presence of abundant autoantigen-specific CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells.
authors.affiliation: Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Heath M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Guay
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Larkin
authors.forename: Cristina Cozzo
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Picca
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Panarey
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Caton
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus