Crossreactive B cells are present during a primary but not secondary response in BALB/c mice expressing a bcl-2 transgene

Fate determination of mature autoreactive B cells

A large antibody repertoire is generated in developing B cells in the bone marrow. Before these B cells achieve immunocompetence, those expressing autospecificities must be purged. To that end, B cells within the bone marrow and just following egress from the bone marrow are subject to tolerance induction. Once B cells achieve immunocompetence, the antibody repertoire can be further diversified by somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes in B cells that have been activated by antigen and cognate T cell help and have undergone a germinal center (GC) response. This process also leads to the generation of autoreactive B cells which must be again purged to protect the host. Thus, B cells within the GC and just following egress from the GC are also subject to tolerance induction. Available data suggest that B cell intrinsic processes triggered by signaling through the B cell receptor activate tolerance mechanisms at both time points. Recent data suggest that GC and post-GC B cells are also subject to B cell extrinsic tolerance mechanisms mediated through soluble and membrane-bound factors derived from various T cell subsets.

Enforced expression of the apoptosis inhibitor Bcl-2 ablates tolerance induction in DNA-reactive B cells through a novel mechanism

How self tolerance is maintained during B cell development in the bone marrow has been a focal area of study in immunology. Receptor editing, anergy and clonal deletion all play important roles in the regulation of autoimmunity in the immature population. The mechanisms of tolerance induction in the periphery, however, are less well characterized. Overexpression of the apoptosis inhibitor Bcl-2 rescues autoreactive B cells from deletion and can contribute to the development of autoimmune disease in certain genetic backgrounds. Using a peptide-induced autoimmunity model, we recently identified a peripheral tolerance checkpoint in antigen-activated B cells that have undergone class switching and somatic hypermutation. At this checkpoint, receptor editing, induced by antigen engagement, dampened the autoantibody response. In this study, we show that receptor editing fails to be induced in antigen-activated DNA-reactive B cells that overexpress Bcl-2 (Bcl-2 Tg). The failure to induce RAG and receptor editing is likely due, at least partially, to the lack of self antigen. First, the levels of circulating DNA and of apoptotic bodies in the spleen of Bcl-2 Tg mice are significantly lower than in control mice. Second, in Bcl-2 Tg mice, RAG can be induced in a population of antigen-activated B cells by providing exogenous soluble antigen. These data suggest that, in addition to its anti-apoptotic activity, Bcl-2 may indirectly inhibit tolerance induction in B cells acquiring anti-nuclear antigen reactivity after peripheral activation by limiting the availability of self antigen.

The role of B cells in lupus pathogenesis

Autoantibodies clearly contribute to tissue inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus. In order to therapeutically target B cells making pathogenic autoantibodies, it is necessary to identify their phenotype. It is also important to understand the defects in B cell repertoire selection that permit pathogenic autoreactive B cells to enter the immunocompetent B cell repertoire. We present the data that both marginal zone and follicular B cells can produce pathogenic autoantibodies. Moreover, we discuss how B cell survival and maturation are regulated centrally prior to antigen activation and in the periphery after antigen activation to form the repertoire that generates the spectrum of circulating antibodies.

Exploration of factors affecting the onset and maturation course of follicular lymphoma through simulations of the germinal center

Genetic mutations frequently observed in human follicular lymphoma (FL) B-cells result in aberrant expression of the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2 and surface immunoglobulins (Igs) which display one or more novel variable (V) region N-glycosylation motifs. In the present study, we develop a simulation model of the germinal center (GC) to explore how these mutations might influence the emergence and clonal expansion of key mutants which provoke FL development. The simulations employ a stochastic method for calculating the cellular dynamics, which incorporates actual IgV region sequences and a simplified hypermutation scheme. We first bring our simulations into agreement with experimental data for well-characterized normal and bcl-2(+) anti-hapten GC responses in mice to provide a model for understanding how bcl-2 expression leads to permissive selection and memory cell differentiation of weakly competitive B-cells. However, as bcl-2 expression in the GC alone is thought to be insufficient for FL development, we next monitor simulated IgV region mutations to determine the emergence times of key mutants displaying aberrant N-glycosylation motifs recurrently observed in human FL IgV regions. Simulations of 26 germline V(H) gene segments indicate that particular IgV regions have a dynamical selective advantage by virtue of the speed with which one or more of their key sites can generate N-glycosylation motifs upon hypermutation. Separate calculations attribute the high occurrence frequency of such IgV regions in FL to an ability to produce key mutants at a fast enough rate to overcome stochastic processes in the GC that hinder clonal expansion. Altogether, these simulations characterize three pathways for FL maturation through positively selected N-glycosylations, namely, via one of two key sites within germline V(H) region gene segments, or via a site in the third heavy chain complementarity-determining region (CDR-H3) that is generated from VDJ recombination.

B cell receptor revision diminishes the autoreactive B cell response after antigen activation in mice

Autoreactive B cells are regulated in the BM during development through mechanisms, including editing of the B cell receptor (BCR), clonal deletion, and anergy. Peripheral B cell tolerance is also important for protection from autoimmune damage, although the mechanisms are less well defined. Here we demonstrated, using a mouse model of SLE-like serology, that during an autoimmune response, RAG was reinduced in antigen-activated early memory or preplasma B cells. Expression of RAG was specific to antigen-reactive B cells, required the function of the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R), and contributed to maintenance of humoral tolerance. We also showed that soluble antigen could diminish a non-autoreactive antibody response through induction of BCR revision. These data suggest that tolerance induction operates in B cells at a postactivation checkpoint and that BCR revision helps regulate autoreactivity generated during an ongoing immune response.

Hormonal modulation of B cell development and repertoire selection

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies, primarily to nuclear antigens. The etiology of SLE is not entirely understood, but it is well-appreciated that multiple factors such as genetics and environment contribute to disease progression and pathogenesis. There is also convincing evidence that gender plays an import role in SLE since the incidence of disease occurs with a female to male ratio of 9:1. While it is plausible that some sex-linked genes may contribute to the genetic predisposition for the disease, other likely culprits for this gender bias are the sex hormones estrogen and prolactin. The data implicating estrogen and prolactin in SLE, until recently, were largely circumstantial. However, within the last few years, data collected from both human and mouse studies have provided compelling evidence that alterations in sex hormone levels can alter tolerance of autoreactive B cells and exacerbate disease. In this review, we will discuss recent data demonstrating a role for estrogen and prolactin in SLE and the effect of these hormones on B cell maturation, selection and activation.

Receptor editing in peripheral B cell tolerance

Receptor editing or secondary Ig gene rearrangement occurs in immature, autoreactive B cells to maintain self-tolerance. Here we show that nonspontaneously autoimmune mice immunized with a peptide mimetope of DNA develop peptide- and DNA-reactive antibodies. Antigen-specific B cells display a follicular B cell phenotype. As these cells move into the memory compartment, many express RAG protein and acquire expression of both kappa and lambda light chains. Thus, this study provides evidence for receptor editing occurring in a mature, antigen-activated B cell population. Because the receptor editing observed here occurred in an autoreactive response to antigen, it may function to maintain peripheral tolerance.

Somatic translocation and differential expression of Ig mu transgene copies implicate a role for the Igh locus in memory B cell development

Memory B cells of mice with Ig mu transgenes often carry transgene copies that have moved into the Igh locus via somatic translocation. This phenomenon has been attributed to a selection pressure for somatic hypermutations, which generally are observed at much higher frequencies in translocated copies than in ectopic copies. We tested this idea by immunizing Ig-mu transgenic mice in a manner designed to select B cells that required only one V(H) mutation for a switch in antigenic specificity and recruitment into the memory pool. Despite the minimal mutation requirement, hybridomas carrying somatic translocations to the Igh locus were obtained. Importantly, this occurred despite the fact that translocated and untranslocated mu-transgenes were mutated comparably. Evidently, a strong selection advantage was conferred upon B cells by the somatic translocations. Among the hybridomas, translocated mu-transgenes were active, while ectopic mu-transgenes were uniformly silent. The translocated copy that had conferred an affinity-based selection advantage was expressed at the highest level. Moreover, translocated copies were differentially expressed among hybridoma members, which belonged to a common post-mutational lineage. This suggests that adjustments in transgene expression levels had occurred during memory cell development. These results indicate that, apart from their potential influences on somatic hypermutagenesis and class switch recombination, elements in the Igh locus promote the selection of memory B cells in another way, possibly by regulating the level of Ig expression at various stages of antigen-driven differentiation.

Mechanism of action of combined short-term CTLA4Ig and anti-CD40 ligand in murine systemic lupus erythematosus

Short-term combination therapy with the costimulatory antagonists CTLA4Ig and anti-CD40 ligand induces prolonged suppression of disease onset in New Zealand Black/New Zealand White F(1) systemic lupus erythematosus-prone mice. To determine the mechanism for this effect, 20- to 22-wk-old New Zealand Black/New Zealand White F(1) mice were treated with six doses each of CTLA4Ig and anti-CD40 ligand Ab over 2 wk. Combination-treated mice, but not mice treated with either agent alone, had prolonged survival and the production of pathogenic IgG anti-dsDNA Ab was suppressed. Twenty weeks after completion of treatment the frequency of activated B cells producing anti-dsDNA Ab was decreased, and the abnormal transition of T cells from the naive to the memory compartment was blocked. Combination treatment partially suppressed class switching and decreased the frequency of somatic mutations in the V(H)BW-16 gene, which is expressed by pathogenic anti-DNA Abs. Treated mice were still able to respond to the hapten oxazolone when it was given 8 wk after treatment initiation, and they mounted a somatically mutated IgG anti-oxazolone response that was noncross-reactive with dsDNA. Fifty to 60% of previously treated mice, but only 14% of previously untreated mice, responded within 2-3 wk to a second course of therapy given at the onset of fixed proteinuria and remained well for a further 3-4 mo. Although this treatment had no immediate effect on serum anti-dsDNA Abs or on the abnormal T cell activation observed in sick mice, 25% of treated mice lived for >18 mo compared with 5% of untreated controls. These results suggest that the effect of costimulatory blockade in remission induction must be mediated by a different mechanism than is demonstrated in the disease prevention studies.

The origin of anti-nuclear antibodies in bcl-2 transgenic mice

bcl-2 transgenic mice develop anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA antibodies similar to those present in systemic lupus erythematosus. To begin to understand where a breakdown in the regulation of autoreactive lymphocytes is occurring, we have used a bcl-2 transgene (Tg) in conjunction with an Ig Tg that allows us to identify and track anti-dsDNA B cells. Previously, we have shown that anti-dsDNA B cells are actively tolerized in BALB/c mice as manifested by their developmental arrest, follicular exclusion, increased in vivo turnover rate and lack of their antibody in the serum. The bcl-2 Tg mice increased the lifespan of anti-dsDNA B cells, but did not alter the other features of tolerance, indicating that the anergy of the anti-dsDNA B cells is independent of their reduced lifespan. Furthermore, these data suggest that the serum anti-dsDNA antibodies in bcl-2 transgenic mice are not due to a breakdown in the induction or maintenance of B cell anergy; rather they may originate from B cells that have transited through a germinal center.