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Preferential Presentation of High-Affinity Immune Complexes in Germinal Centers Can Explain How Passive Immunization Improves the Humoral Response.

ABSTRACT: Passive immunization (PI) with external antibodies has been used classically for rapid but temporary alleviation of disease. Transcending this role, recent studies have shown PI to induce lasting improvements in natural antibody production, suggesting that PI could become a powerful tool to engineer humoral responses. We propose a mechanism with which PI can alter the humoral response. Antigen-specific B cells evolve and get selected in germinal centers (GCs) on the basis of their ability to acquire antigen from antibody-antigen complexes presented in GCs. When external antibodies of high affinity for antigen are used, they form the majority of the complexes in GCs, letting only B cells with even higher affinities be selected. Using an in silico GC reaction model, we show that this mechanism explains the improved humoral responses following PI. The model also synthesizes several independent experimental observations, indicating the robustness of the mechanism, and proposes tunable handles to optimize PI.

SUBMITTER: Garg AK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7116025 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Preferential Presentation of High-Affinity Immune Complexes in Germinal Centers Can Explain How Passive Immunization Improves the Humoral Response.

Garg Amar K AK Desikan Rajat R Dixit Narendra M NM

Cell reports 20191201 12

Passive immunization (PI) with external antibodies has been used classically for rapid but temporary alleviation of disease. Transcending this role, recent studies have shown PI to induce lasting improvements in natural antibody production, suggesting that PI could become a powerful tool to engineer humoral responses. We propose a mechanism with which PI can alter the humoral response. Antigen-specific B cells evolve and get selected in germinal centers (GCs) on the basis of their ability to acq ...[more]

PMID: 31851925

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Project description:Abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects germinal center (GC) B cells and establishes persistent infection in memory B cells. EBV-infected B cells sometimes cause B cell malignancies in humans with T- or NK-cell deficiency. We now find EBV-encoded Latent Membrane Protein 2A (LMP2A) to mimic B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling in murine GC B cells, causing altered humoral immune responses and autoimmune diseases. Investigation of the impact of LMP2A on B cell differentiation in mice that conditionally express LMP2A in GC B cells, or all B-lineage cells, found LMP2A expression enhanced not only BCR signals but also plasma-cell differentiation, in vitro and in vivo. Conditional LMP2A expression in GC B cells resulted in preferential selection of low-affinity antibody–producing B-cells despite apparently normal GC formation. GC B cell-specific LMP2A expression led to systemic lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune phenotypes in an age-dependent manner. Epigenetic profiling of LMP2A B cells found increased H3K27ac and H3K4me1 signals at the Zbtb20 locus. We conclude that LMP2A reduces the stringency of GC B cell selection and may contribute to persistent EBV infection and pathogenesis by providing GC B cells with pro-survival signals. Significance Statement: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus that establishes persistent infection of the B-cell compartment. EBV is associated with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the molecular mechanisms by which EBV contributes to autoimmunity remain unclear. We used transgenic mouse models to study the role of EBV-encoded Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), which mimics B-cell receptor signaling.　Interestingly, LMP2A not only enhanced B-cell survival, but also upregulated the transcription factor Zbtb20 and promoted plasma cell differentiation. When expressed late in B-cell development, LMP2A also caused prominent features of SLE, including autoantibody production with kidney immune complex deposition. Our findings suggest that LMP2A has important roles in B cell activation, differentiation and the development of EBV-associated autoimmune diseases.

Dataset Information

Preferential Presentation of High-Affinity Immune Complexes in Germinal Centers Can Explain How Passive Immunization Improves the Humoral Response.

Publications

Preferential Presentation of High-Affinity Immune Complexes in Germinal Centers Can Explain How Passive Immunization Improves the Humoral Response.

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