Generation of Protective T Cell-Independent Antiviral Antibody Responses in SCID Mice Reconstituted with Follicular or Marginal Zone B Cells

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 183; no. 1; pp. 518 - 523
• Main Authors: Guay, Heath M, Mishra, Rabinarayan, Garcea, Robert L, Welsh, Raymond M, Szomolanyi-Tsuda, Eva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Am Assoc Immnol 01-07-2009
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adoptive Transfer; Animals; Antibodies, Viral - biosynthesis; Antigens, T-Independent - immunology; B-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; B-Lymphocyte Subsets - transplantation; B-Lymphocyte Subsets - virology; Clone Cells; Immunoglobulin G - biosynthesis; Immunoglobulin M - biosynthesis; Immunophenotyping; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Mice, SCID; Polyomavirus Infections - immunology; Polyomavirus Infections - mortality; Polyomavirus Infections - prevention & control; Spleen - cytology; Spleen - immunology; Spleen - transplantation; Survival Analysis; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - virology
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0900068

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.