Activated B Cells Participating in the Anti-Myelin Response Are Excluded from the Inflamed Central Nervous System in a Model of Autoimmunity that Allows for B Cell Recognition of Autoantigen

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) 2017-07, Vol.199 (2), p.449-457
• Main Authors: Tesfagiorgis, Yodit, Zhu, Sarah L, Jain, Rajiv, Kerfoot, Steven M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal tissues; Animals; Autoantigens - immunology; Autoimmunity; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; B-Lymphocytes - physiology; B7-1 Antigen - genetics; B7-1 Antigen - immunology; CD80 antigen; Cell activation; Cell Movement - immunology; Cell recognition; Central nervous system; Central Nervous System - immunology; Disease Models, Animal; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental - immunology; Inflammation; Inflammation - immunology; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte receptors; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Lymphocytes T; Lymphoid Tissue - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myelin; Myelin Sheath - immunology; Spinal Cord - immunology; Spinal Cord - pathology; T cell receptors; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - physiology
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1602042

Once activated, T cells gain the ability to access both healthy and inflamed nonlymphoid tissues. They are then reactivated to remain in the tissue and exert their effector function only if they encounter their specific Ag. In this study, we set out to determine if the same is true for B cells using a mouse model of CNS autoimmunity that incorporates both T and B cell recognition of a myelin autoantigen. Both T and B cells were common infiltrates of spinal cords in diseased mice. However, unlike T cells, anti-myelin B cells were excluded from the inflamed tissue. Further, CNS B cells did not have a phenotype consistent with Ag-specific activation as it occurs in lymphatic tissue. Instead, they expressed elevated levels of CD80, indicating that B cells may contribute to local inflammation through nonantigen-specific mechanisms.