HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Related articles in The JI Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chappell, C. P. Articles by Jacob, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chappell, C. P. Articles by Jacob, J.

Identification of Memory B Cells Using a Novel Transgenic Mouse Model¹

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30307

Memory B cells help to protect the host from invading pathogens by maintaining persistent levels of Ag-specific serum Ab and generating rapid Ab responses upon re-exposure to Ag. Unambiguous identification of memory B cells has been a major obstacle to furthering our knowledge concerning both the development of B cell memory and secondary Ab responses due to an absence of specific cell surface markers. Germinal centers (GCs) are thought to be the major site of Ig hypermutation and Ag-driven selection of memory B cells. To develop a model that would identify GC-derived memory B cells, we generated transgenic mice that expressed cre recombinase in a GC-specific fashion. Interbreeding these mice with the cre-reporter strain, ROSA26R, produced progeny in which -galactosidase (-gal) was permanently expressed in B cells of the GC-memory pathway. Analysis following immunization with (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl coupled to chicken globulin showed that long-lived -gal⁺ B cells exclusively contained somatically mutated ₁ V regions and were capable of producing Ag-specific Ab-forming cell (AFC) responses that were >100-fold higher than those afforded by -gal^– B cells following adoptive transfer to naive hosts. Secondary challenge of immune mice showed that only 20% of secondary AFCs expressed -gal. Interestingly, we found that somatic hypermutation of rearranged ₁ V regions within secondary AFCs showed a strong correlation with -gal expression, suggesting that nonmutated B cells contribute significantly to secondary Ab responses. This model should provide useful insights into memory B cell development, maintenance, and differentiation following immunization or pathogenic infection.

Related articles in The JI:

IN THIS ISSUE

The JI 2006 176: 4507-4508. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. M. Tomayko, S. M. Anderson, C. E. Brayton, S. Sadanand, N. C. Steinel, T. W. Behrens, and M. J. Shlomchik Systematic Comparison of Gene Expression between Murine Memory and Naive B Cells Demonstrates That Memory B Cells Have Unique Signaling Capabilities J. Immunol., July 1, 2008; 181(1): 27 - 38. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. M. Anderson, M. M. Tomayko, A. Ahuja, A. M. Haberman, and M. J. Shlomchik New markers for murine memory B cells that define mutated and unmutated subsets J. Exp. Med., September 3, 2007; 204(9): 2103 - 2114. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]