The antigen presenting potential of CD21low B cells

Abstract: Human CD21low B cells are expanded in autoimmune (AI) diseases and display a unique phenotype with high expression of co-stimulatory molecules, compatible with a potential role as antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Thus, we addressed the co-stimulatory capacity of naïve-like, IgM-memory, switched memory and CD27negIgDneg memory CD21low B cells in allogenic co-cultures with CD4 T cells. CD21low B cells of patients with AI disorders expressed high levels of not only CD86, CD80, and HLA-DR (memory B cells) but also PD-L1 ex vivo and efficiently co-stimulated CD4 T cells of healthy donors (HD), as measured by upregulation of CD25, CD69, inducible co-stimulator (ICOS), and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and induction of cytokines. While the co-stimulatory capacity of the different CD21low B-cell populations was over all comparable to CD21pos counterparts of patients and HD, especially switched memory CD21low B cells lacked the increased capacity of CD21pos switched memory B-cells to induce high expression of ICOS, IL-2, IL-10, and IFN-γ. Acknowledging the limitation of the in vitro setting, CD21low B cells do not seem to preferentially support a specific Th effector response. In summary, our data implies that CD21low B cells of patients with AI diseases can become competent APCs and may, when enriched for autoreactive B-cell receptors (BCR), potentially contribute to AI reactions as cognate interaction partners of autoreactive T cells at sites of inflammation

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Frontiers in immunology. - 11 (2020) , 535784, ISSN: 1664-3224

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2020
• Creator: Reincke, Marlene Elisabeth ; Payne, Kathryn J. ; Harder, Ina ; Strohmeier, Valentina ; Voll, Reinhard ; Warnatz, Klaus ; Keller, Bärbel

Further information

• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.535784
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-1696971
• Rights: Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:31 AM CEST