| First Author | Shimoda M | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 176 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 2122-33 |
| PubMed ID | 16455968 | Mgi Jnum | J:129125 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3768717 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.176.4.2122 |
| Citation | Shimoda M, et al. (2006) Role of MHC class II on memory B cells in post-germinal center B cell homeostasis and memory response. J Immunol 176(4):2122-33 |
| abstractText | We investigated the role of B cell Ag presentation in homeostasis of the memory B cell compartment in a mouse model where a conditional allele for the beta-chain of MHC class II (MHC-II) is deleted in the vast majority of all B cells by cd19 promoter-mediated expression of Cre recombinase (IA-B mice). Upon T cell-dependent immunization, a small number of MHC-II(+) B cells in IA-B mice dramatically expanded and restored normal albeit delayed levels of germinal center (GC) B cells with an affinity-enhancing somatic mutation to Ag. IA-B mice also established normal levels of MHC-II(+) memory B cells, which, however, subsequently lost MHC-II expression by ongoing deletion of the conditional iab allele without significant loss in their number. Furthermore, in vivo Ag restimulation of MHC-II(-) memory B cells of IA-B mice failed to cause differentiation into plasma cells (PCs), even in the presence of Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells. In addition, both numbers and Ag-specific affinity of long-lived PCs during the late post-GC phase, as well as post-GC serum affinity maturation, were significantly reduced in IA-B mice. These results support a notion that MHC-II-dependent T cell help during post-GC phase is not absolutely required for the maintenance of memory B cell frequency but is important for their differentiation into PCs and for the establishment of the long-lived PC compartment. |
