| First Author | Chen Y | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | J Exp Med | Volume | 215 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1397-1415 |
| PubMed ID | 29588346 | Mgi Jnum | J:261587 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6155943 | Doi | 10.1084/jem.20171761 |
| Citation | Chen Y, et al. (2018) Microbial symbionts regulate the primary Ig repertoire. J Exp Med 215(5):1397-1415 |
| abstractText | The ability of immunoglobulin (Ig) to recognize pathogens is critical for optimal immune fitness. Early events that shape preimmune Ig repertoires, expressed on IgM(+) IgD(+) B cells as B cell receptors (BCRs), are poorly defined. Here, we studied germ-free mice and conventionalized littermates to explore the hypothesis that symbiotic microbes help shape the preimmune Ig repertoire. Ig-binding assays showed that exposure to conventional microbial symbionts enriched frequencies of antibacterial IgM(+) IgD(+) B cells in intestine and spleen. This enrichment affected follicular B cells, involving a diverse set of Ig-variable region gene segments, and was T cell-independent. Functionally, enrichment of microbe reactivity primed basal levels of small intestinal T cell-independent, symbiont-reactive IgA and enhanced systemic IgG responses to bacterial immunization. These results demonstrate that microbial symbionts influence host immunity by enriching frequencies of antibacterial specificities within preimmune B cell repertoires and that this may have consequences for mucosal and systemic immunity. |
