CD73 expression identifies a subset of IgM+ antigen-experienced cells with memory attributes that is T cell and CD40 signalling dependent

4 years ago

CD73 expression identifies a subset of IgM+ antigen-experienced cells with memory attributes that is T cell and CD40 signalling dependent

Anna George, Lucas D'Souza, Satyajit Rath, Vineeta Bal, Sneh Lata Gupta

B-cell memory was long characterized as isotype-switched, somatically mutated and germinal centre (GC)-derived. However, it is now clear that the memory pool is a complex mixture that includes unswitched and unmutated cells. Further, expression of CD73, CD80 and CD273 has allowed the categorization of B-cell memory into multiple subsets, with combinatorial expression of the markers increasing with GC progression, isotype-switching and acquisition of somatic mutations. We have extended these findings to determine whether these markers can be used to identify IgM memory phenotypically as arising from T-dependent versus T-independent responses. We report that CD73 expression identifies a subset of antigen-experienced IgM+ cells that share attributes of functional B-cell memory. This subset is reduced in the spleens of T-cell-deficient and CD40-deficient mice and in mixed marrow chimeras made with mutant and wild-type marrow, the proportion of CD73+ IgM memory is restored in the T-cell-deficient donor compartment but not in the CD40-deficient donor compartment, indicating that CD40 ligation is involved in its generation. We also report that CD40 signalling supports optimal expression of CD73 on splenic T cells and age-associated B cells (ABCs), but not on other immune cells such as neutrophils, marginal zone B cells, peritoneal cavity B-1 B cells and regulatory T and B cells. Our data indicate that in addition to promoting GC-associated memory generation during B-cell differentiation, CD40-signalling can influence the composition of the unswitched memory B-cell pool. They also raise the possibility that a fraction of ABCs may represent T-cell-dependent IgM memory. IgM memory cells to environmental antigens were phenotypically characterized in wild-type mice and in mice lacking αβT cells, γδT cells or CD40. Fewer CD73+ cells were seen in mice lacking either αβT cells or CD40, and mixed marrow chimeras revealed that specific signalling through CD40 was required for optimal generation of the CD73+ IgM memory subset. CD40 deficiency also affected CD73 expression on T cells and age-associated B cells but not on a variety of other immune cells.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1111/imm.12800