Differential regulation of self-reactivity discriminates between IgG+ human circulating memory B cells and bone marrow plasma cells

JF Scheid, H Mouquet, J Kofer… - Proceedings of the …, 2011 - National Acad Sciences
JF Scheid, H Mouquet, J Kofer, S Yurasov, MC Nussenzweig, H Wardemann
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011National Acad Sciences
Long-term humoral immunity is maintained by the formation of high-affinity class-switched
memory B cells and long-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells. In healthy humans, a
substantial fraction of IgG-positive memory B cells express self-reactive and polyreactive IgG
antibodies that frequently develop by somatic mutations. Whether self-and polyreactive IgG-
secreting B cells are also tolerated in the long-lived plasma cell pool is not known. To
address this question, we cloned and expressed the Ig genes from 177 IgG-producing bone …
Long-term humoral immunity is maintained by the formation of high-affinity class-switched memory B cells and long-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells. In healthy humans, a substantial fraction of IgG-positive memory B cells express self-reactive and polyreactive IgG antibodies that frequently develop by somatic mutations. Whether self- and polyreactive IgG-secreting B cells are also tolerated in the long-lived plasma cell pool is not known. To address this question, we cloned and expressed the Ig genes from 177 IgG-producing bone marrow plasma cells of four healthy donors. All antibodies were highly mutated but the frequency of self- and polyreactive IgG antibodies was significantly lower than that found in circulating memory B cells. The data suggest that in contrast to the development of memory B cells, entry into the bone marrow plasma cell compartment requires previously unappreciated selective regulation by mechanisms that limit the production of self- and polyreactive serum IgG antibodies.
National Acad Sciences