title: B cell subsets are activated and produce cytokines during early phases of Francisella tularensis LVS infection.
abstract: Francisella tularensis, a facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacterium, causes the illness tularemia. The infection of mice with live vaccine strain is considered to be a model of human tularemia. F. tularensis infects predominantly such phagocytic cells as macrophages or neutrophils, but it also infects non-phagocytic hepatocytes, epithelial cells, and murine and human B cell lines. Based on work with the murine tularemia model, we report here that F. tularensis LVS infects peritoneal CD19(+) cells - exclusively B-1a cells - early after intraperitoneal infection in vivo. The peritoneal and consequently spleen CD19(+) cells are activated by the F. tularensis LVS infection to express the activation markers from MHC class II, CD25, CD54, CD69, and the co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86. As early as 12 h post-infection, the peritoneal CD19(+) cells produce IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, IL-23, and TNF-α. The spleen CD19(+) cells respond to infection with some delay. Moreover, the F. tularensis infected A20 B cell line activates CD3(+) spleen cells isolated from naïve mice. Thus, the data presented here suggest that B cells have all the attributes to actively participate in the induction and regulation of the adaptive immune response during early stages of F. tularensis infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Military Health Sciences (FMHS), University of Defense (UO), Trebesska 1575, 500 01 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Plzakova
authors.affiliation: Centre of Advanced Studies, FMHS, UO, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Klara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubelkova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Military Health Sciences (FMHS), University of Defense (UO), Trebesska 1575, 500 01 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. Electronic address: krocova@pmfhk.cz.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Krocova
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiobiology, FMHS, UO, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zarybnicka
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiobiology, FMHS, UO, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sinkorova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Military Health Sciences (FMHS), University of Defense (UO), Trebesska 1575, 500 01 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ales
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macela
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D014406:Tularemia / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D016207:Cytokines; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
keywords: Activating markers; Antigen-presenting function; B cells; Cytokines; F. tularensis