Autoreactive B-1 B cells: constraints on natural autoantibody B cell antigen receptors

J Autoimmun. 2007 Dec;29(4):236-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2007.07.020. Epub 2007 Sep 21.

Abstract

B-1 B-cells constitute a distinctive population of cells that are enriched for self-reactive B cell receptors (BCRs). These BCRs are encoded by a restricted set of heavy and light chains, including heavy chains that lack nontemplated nucleotide additions at the V-D and D-J joining regions. One prototype natural autoantibody produced by B-1 B cells binds to a cryptic determinant exposed on senescent red blood cells that includes the phosphatidylcholine (PtC) moiety. The V(H)11Vkappa9 BCR, which accounts for a large fraction of the anti-PtC specificity, is underrepresented in other B-cell populations, including newly formed B cells in bone marrow, and the transitional B cells, follicular B cells, and marginal zone B cells in spleen. Previous work has shown that V(H)11 heavy chains pair ineffectively with surrogate light chain (SLC) and so do not promote development in bone marrow, but instead allow fetal liver maturation because of a fetal preference for weaker pre-BCR signaling. Such inefficient SLC pairing constitutes one constraint on the maturation of B cells containing V(H)11 rearrangements that biases their generation to fetal development. Here, we examine another possible bottleneck to the B1 cell repertoire: light chain pairing with V(H)11 heavy chain, finding very significant preferences.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoantibodies / immunology
  • Autoantigens / immunology
  • Autoimmunity*
  • B-Lymphocyte Subsets / cytology
  • B-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology*
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain
  • Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Light Chain
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Pre-B Cell Receptors / immunology
  • Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / cytology*
  • Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / immunology*
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / immunology*
  • Transduction, Genetic
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Autoantigens
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate
  • Pre-B Cell Receptors
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell