title: Virus-like display of a neo-self antigen reverses B cell anergy in a B cell receptor transgenic mouse model.
abstract: The ability to distinguish between self and foreign Ags is a central feature of immune recognition. For B cells, however, immune tolerance is not absolute, and factors that include Ag valency, the availability of T help, and polyclonal B cell stimuli can influence the induction of autoantibody responses. Here, we evaluated whether multivalent virus-like particle (VLP)-based immunogens could induce autoantibody responses in well-characterized transgenic (Tg) mice that express a soluble form of hen egg lysozyme (HEL) and in which B cell tolerance to HEL is maintained by anergy. Immunization with multivalent VLP-arrayed HEL, but not a trivalent form of HEL, induced high-titer Ab responses against HEL in both soluble HEL Tg mice and double Tg mice that also express a monoclonal HEL-specific BCR. Induction of autoantibodies against HEL was not dependent on coadministration of strong adjuvants, such as CFA. In contrast to previous data showing the T-independent induction of Abs to foreign epitopes on VLPs, the ability of HEL-conjugated VLPs to induce anti-HEL Abs in tolerant mice was dependent on the presence of CD4(+) Th cells, and could be enhanced by the presence of pre-existing cognate T cells. In in vitro studies, VLP-conjugated HEL was more potent than trivalent HEL in up-regulating surface activation markers on purified anergic B cells. Moreover, immunization with VLP-HEL reversed B cell anergy in vivo in an adoptive transfer model. Thus, Ag multivalency and T help cooperate to reverse B cell anergy, a major mechanism of B cell tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. bchackerian@salud.umn.edu
authors.forename: Bryce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chackerian
authors.forename: Marisa R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Durfee
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Schiller
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D052688:Bovine papillomavirus 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017635:Clonal Anergy / Q000235:genetics; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant / Q000494:pharmacology; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant