Rhof promotes murine marginal zone B cell development.
RhoF is a member of the Rho GTPase family that has been implicated in various cell functions including long filopodia formation, adhesion, and migration of cells. Although RhoF is expressed in lymphoid tissues, the roles of RhoF in B cell development remain largely unclear. On the other hand, other members of the Rho GTPase family, such as Cdc42, RhoA, and Rac, have been intensively studied and are known to be required for B cell development in the bone marrow and spleen. We hypothesized that RhoF is also involved in B cell development. To examine our hypothesis, we analyzed B cell development in RhoF knockout (KO) mice and found a significant reduction in marginal zone (MZ) B cells in the spleen, although T cell development in the thymus and spleen was not affected. Consistent with these results, the width of the MZ B cell region in the spleen was significantly reduced in the RhoF KO mice. However, the antigen-specific antibody titer of IgM and IgG3 after MZ B cell-specific antigen (T cell-independent antigen, type I) stimulation was not affected by RhoF deletion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that RhoF was dispensable for stromal cell-derived factor-1α- and B lymphocyte chemoattractant-induced B cell migration. These results suggest that RhoF promotes MZ B cell development in the spleen.
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan ; Department of Mechanism of Aging, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan ; Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Mayuko
M
Kishimoto
Department of Mechanism of Aging, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan.
Takenori
T
Matsuda
Department of Mechanism of Aging, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan.
Shougo
S
Yanase
Department of Clinical Oncology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Akira
A
Katsumi
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Nobuaki
N
Suzuki
Department of Molecular and Laboratory Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
Makoto
M
Ikejiri
Department of Medical Technology, Nagoya University School of Health Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Akira
A
Takagi
Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
Masahito
M
Ikawa
Department of Medical Technology, Nagoya University School of Health Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Tetsuhito
T
Kojima
Department of Advanced Diagnosis, Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan.
Shinji
S
Kunishima
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Hitoshi
H
Kiyoi
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan ; National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan.
Tomoki
T
Naoe
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Tadashi
T
Matsushita
Department of Mechanism of Aging, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan ; Department of Aging Research, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Mitsuo
M
Maruyama
B cell development; Marginal Zone B cell; Rho GTPase family; RhoF