Membrane IgM+ plasma cells in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella): Insights into the conserved evolution of IgM+ plasma cells in vertebrates

• Published in: Developmental and comparative immunology 2020-05, Vol.106, p.103613-103613, Article 103613
• Main Authors: Cui, Zheng-Wei, Zhang, Xiang-Yang, Wu, Chang-Song, Zhang, Yong-An, Zhou, Yang, Zhang, Xu-Jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood plasma; Carp; CD40L; CD40L protein; Cell size; Clinics; Comparative analysis; Ctenopharyngodon idella; Evolution; Fish; Flow cytometry; Gene expression; Grass carp; IgM+ B cell; IL-21; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulins; Interleukin 21; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Mammals; Membranes; Monoclonal antibodies; Myeloid cells; Plasma; Plasma cell; Plasma cells; Subpopulations; Transmission electron microscopy; Vertebrates
• ISSN: 0145-305X; 1879-0089
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2020.103613

Teleost fish are the most primitive bony vertebrates that contain B cells; thus, comparative analysis of teleost naïve/mature B cells and plasma cells can provide helpful evidence for understanding the evolution paradigms of these two B-cell subpopulations in vertebrates. In this study, we developed monoclonal antibody against grass carp IgM and identified two different IgM+ cell subsets: IgM+ lymphocytes (Lym), resembling naïve/mature B cells, and IgM+ myeloid cells (Mye), resembling plasma cells. Like plasma cells in mammals, the size of IgM+ Mye is significantly larger than that of IgM+ Lym, as revealed by flow cytometric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The IgM+ Mye were further verified as plasma cells because they showed gene expression patterns similar with those of human plasma cells and a great capacity to secrete IgM. Like mammalian IgM+ and IgA+ plasma cells, not IgG+ plasma cells, grass carp IgM+ Mye also expressed membrane immunoglobulins, a feature conserved in IgM+ plasma cells in vertebrates. Furthermore, recombinant CD40L or IL-21 alone could induce the plasma cell generation and IgM secretion, while the combination of CD40L and IL-21 had greater effect on IgM secretion, but not on plasma cell generation. This study fills an important gap in the knowledge of plasma cells in teleost fish and provides critical insights into the conserved evolution of IgM+ plasma cells in vertebrates. •Two different subsets of IgM+ cells, IgM+ lymphocytes and IgM+ myeloid cells, were identified in grass carp.•The size of IgM+ myeloid cells is significantly larger than that of IgM+ lymphocytes.•IgM+ lymphocytes resemble naïve/mature B cells while IgM+ myeloid cells resemble plasma cells.•Recombinant CD40L or IL-21 alone could induce the generation of IgM+ myeloid cells and the secretion of IgM.