title: Antibody repertoire development in fetal and neonatal piglets: XIX. Undiversified B cells with hydrophobic HCDR3s preferentially proliferate in the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.
abstract: Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes an extraordinary increase in the proportion of B cells resulting in lymphoid hyperplasia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and autoimmunity in neonatal piglets. Spectratypic analysis of B cells from neonatal isolator piglets show a non-Gaussian pattern with preferential expansion of clones bearing certain H chain third complementary region (HCDR3) lengths. However, only in PRRSV-infected isolator piglets was nearly the identical spectratype observed for all lymphoid tissues. This result suggests dissemination of the same dominant B cell clones throughout the body. B cell expansion in PRRS was not associated with preferential VH gene usage or repertoire diversification and these cells appeared to bear a naive phenotype. The B cell population observed during infection comprised those with hydrophobic HCDR3s, especially sequences encoded by reading frame 3 of DHA that generates the AMVLV motif. Thus, the hydropathicity profile of B cells after infection was skewed to favor those with hydrophobic binding sites, whereas the normally dominant region of the hydropathicity profile containing neutral HCDR3s was absent. We believe that the hypergammaglobulinemia results from the products of these cells. We speculate that PRRSV infection generates a product that engages the BCR of naive B cells, displaying the AMVLV and similar motifs in HCDR3 and resulting in their T-independent proliferation without repertoire diversification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Interdisciplinary Immunology Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. john-butler@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Caitlin D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lemke
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sinkora
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lager
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D000916:Antibody Diversity / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D005333:Fetus; D015326:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; D005835:Genitalia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D019318:Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D019316:Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / Q000276:immunology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D013552:Swine; D014018:Tissue Distribution / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains