Contribution of alphabeta and gammadelta T cells to the generation of primary immunoglobulin G-driven autoimmune response in immunoglobulin- mu-deficient/lpr mice

Immunology. 2004 Jun;112(2):265-73. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2004.01883.x.

Abstract

Class switch recombination (CSR) is a T-cell-dependent mechanism regulating isotype switching in activated mature B cells. Recently we showed that T-cell-independent CSRs occur spontaneously during B lymphopoiesis, but such cells are negatively selected by Fas signalling. In immunoglobulin mu-deficient mice, lack of Fas rescues isotype-switched B cells, resulting in generation of an autoimmune primary immunoglobulin G (IgG) repertoire in muMT/lpr mice. In the present study, we studied the role of alphabeta and gammadelta T cells in regulating this primary gammaH-driven repertoire. We found that a lack of alphabeta T cells significantly inhibited IgG production and autoimmunity in muMT/lpr mice, whereas a lack of gammadelta T cells resulted in augmented IgG production and autoimmunity. Also, a lack of T cells in muMT mice rescued isotype-switched B cells and serum IgG, probably owing to the lack of available FasL. We suggest that although CSRs in B-cell lymphopoiesis are T-cell independent, alphabeta T cells are important in the expansion of isotype-switched B-cell precursors and in promoting gammaH-driven autoimmunity, whereas gammadelta T cells regulate these cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoimmunity*
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology
  • Chromatin / immunology
  • Fas Ligand Protein
  • Immunoglobulin Class Switching / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin G / biosynthesis*
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Cooperation / immunology
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / analysis*
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / analysis*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • fas Receptor / immunology

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • Fas Ligand Protein
  • Fasl protein, mouse
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin mu-Chains
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta
  • fas Receptor