| First Author | Shriner AK | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 185 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 525-31 |
| PubMed ID | 20505146 | Mgi Jnum | J:161441 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4459333 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.0902841 |
| Citation | Shriner AK, et al. (2010) IL-7-dependent B lymphocytes are essential for the anti-polysaccharide response and protective immunity to Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Immunol 185(1):525-31 |
| abstractText | Young children are impaired in their response to T cell-independent (TI) Ags, such as pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS). B lymphopoeisis early in life is IL-7 independent, whereas in adults it is IL-7 dependent. Therefore, we hypothesized that IL-7-driven B lymphopoiesis plays a critical role in promoting Ab responses to TI Ags. Young but not adult mice are impaired in responses to PPS vaccination and to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl-acetyl-Ficoll, a widely studied model TI Ag, and B1b cells generate Ab responses to these Ags. In this paper, we show that, despite having B1b, B1a, and MZ B cells-all of which are involved in TI responses-young wild-type or adult mice deficient either in IL-7 or in IL-7Ralpha are severely impaired in anti-PPS responses and do not survive Streptococcus pneumoniae challenge, indicating IL-7-dependent B cells are required for TI immunity. Consistent with this, PPS immunization induced a robust TI response in young IL-7 transgenic mice that was comparable to adult wild-type responses. Moreover, immunized young or adult IL-7 transgenic mice were completely resistant to S. pneumoniae challenge. Our data indicate that activating the IL-7 signaling pathway could restore impaired TI responses in the young. |
