Transplantation tolerance modifies donor-specific B cell fate to suppress de novo alloreactive B cells

SHW Khiew, D Jain, J Chen, J Yang… - The Journal of …, 2020 - Am Soc Clin Investig
SHW Khiew, D Jain, J Chen, J Yang, D Yin, JS Young, A Dent, R Sciammas, ML Alegre
The Journal of clinical investigation, 2020Am Soc Clin Investig
The absence of alloantibodies is a feature of transplantation tolerance. Although the lack of
T cell help has been evoked to explain this absence, herein we provide evidence for B cell–
intrinsic tolerance mechanisms. Using a murine model of heart tolerance, we showed that
alloreactive B cells were not deleted but rapidly lost their ability to differentiate into germinal
center B cells and secrete donor-specific antibodies. We inferred that tolerant alloreactive B
cells retained their ability to sense alloantigen because they continued to drive T cell …
The absence of alloantibodies is a feature of transplantation tolerance. Although the lack of T cell help has been evoked to explain this absence, herein we provide evidence for B cell–intrinsic tolerance mechanisms. Using a murine model of heart tolerance, we showed that alloreactive B cells were not deleted but rapidly lost their ability to differentiate into germinal center B cells and secrete donor-specific antibodies. We inferred that tolerant alloreactive B cells retained their ability to sense alloantigen because they continued to drive T cell maturation into CXCR5+PD-1+ T follicular helper cells. Unexpectedly, dysfunctional alloreactive B cells acquired the ability to inhibit antibody production by new naive B cells in an antigen-specific manner. Thus, tolerant alloreactive B cells contribute to transplantation tolerance by foregoing germinal center responses while retaining their ability to function as antigen-presenting cells and by actively suppressing de novo alloreactive B cell responses.
The Journal of Clinical Investigation