Abstract
Class-switching of B cells to IgA can be induced via both T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent mechanisms. IgA is most predominantly produced mucosally and is important for combating infections and allergies. In contrast to mice, humans have two forms of IgA; IgA1 and IgA2 with diverse tissue distribution. In early life, IgA levels might be sub-optimal especially during the fall season when bacterial and viral infections are more common. Therefore, we investigated using human B cells whether T-cell-independent factors -promoting cell survival, class switching and immunoglobulin secretion- BAFF, APRIL, IL-10 and retinoic acid can boost IgA production in the context of viral or bacterial infection. To this end total and naive peripheral blood B cells were stimulated with these factors for 6 days in the presence or absence of TLR7/8 agonist R848 (mimicking viral infection) or TLR9 agonist CpG-ODN (mimicking bacterial infection). We show that BAFF significantly augments IgA2 production in TLR7/8 stimulated mature, but not naïve B cells. In addition, BAFF augments IL-10 production and viability in TLR7/8 and TLR9 stimulated mature B cells. These data warrant further investigation of its role in immune regulation both in the periphery and mucosal tissues in early life or during disease.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 283-292 |
Journal | European journal of immunology |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 11 Oct 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 9 Feb 2018 |
Keywords
- CD38
- Class switch recombination
- CpG-ODN
- Plasma cell
- Retinoic acid