Activación, producción de anticuerpos y apoptosis del linfocito B en la inmunodeficiencia variable común

Abstract

Common Variable Immunodeficiency is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent infections. The cause of the disease is unknown, although a failure on final B lymphocyte differentiation into memory B lymphocyte or antibody-secreting plasma cell has been suggested. According to the degree of alteration of their memory B lymphocytes compartment, patients are classified into 3 groups (MB0, MB1 and MB2), with different clinical presentation and evolution. We studied whether several essential steps on B lymphocyte differentiation are altered in patients. With this purpose, we evaluated: (i) activation (CD86 expression and cellular proliferation) on B lymphocytes activated with T-independent stimuli: ODN (TLR-9 ligand) or bacterial extracts, with or without anti-IgM (activation through BCR); (ii) differentiation (CD38 expression) and IgG, IgA and IgM production on B lymphocytes activated with anti-CD40 plus IL-21 (T-dependent stimulus) or ODN, in the presence or absence of anti-IgM; and (iii) apoptosis on naïve and memory B lymphocytes activated with anti-CD40, ODN or anti-IgM, in the presence or absence of IL-21. B lymphocytes from patients show decreased activation in response to T-independent stimuli. Their differentiation into CD38+ plasma cells is deficient, and antibodies production is diminished in response to all stimuli. Only memory B lymphocytes from MB0 patients are less sensitive to activation-induced rescue from apoptosis. These results identify B lymphocyte differentiation defects that contribute to explaining the hypogammaglobulinemia and phenotypic variability of patients, and highlight the need to correctly classify them.

Date of Award	16 Jul 2014
Original language	English
Supervisor	Joana Ferrer (Director) & Paz Martinez Ramirez (Tutor)