Generation of protective T cell-independent antiviral antibody responses in SCID mice reconstituted with follicular or marginal zone B cells.
B cells generated in the bone marrow of adult mice enter the periphery as transitional B cells and subsequently differentiate into one of two phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets, marginal zone (MZ) or follicular (Fo) B cells. Recent reports indicate, however, that in response to environmental cues, such as lymphopenia, mature Fo B cells can change to display phenotypic markers characteristic of MZ B cells. Previously, we found that splenic B cells transferred to SCID mice responded to polyoma virus (PyV) infection with T cell-independent (TI) IgM and IgG secretion, reducing the viral load and protecting mice from the lethal effect of the infection. The contribution of MZ and Fo B cell subsets to this antiviral TI-2 response, however, has not been addressed. In this study, we show that both sort-purified MZ and Fo B cells generate protective TI Ab responses to PyV infection when transferred into SCID mice. Moreover, the transferred Fo B cells in the spleens of the PyV-infected SCID mice change phenotype, with many of them displaying MZ B cell characteristics. These findings demonstrate the plasticity of the B cell subsets in virus-infected hosts and show for the first time that B cells derived exclusively from Fo B cells can effectively function in antiviral TI-2 responses.
Guay
Heath M
HM
Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, 01655, USA.
Mishra
Rabinarayan
R
Garcea
Robert L
RL
Welsh
Raymond M
RM
Szomolanyi-Tsuda
Eva
E
D000208:Acute Disease; D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent / Q000276:immunology; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation* / Q000821:virology; D002999:Clone Cells; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016513:Mice, SCID; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M