Marginal zone B-cells, a gatekeeper of innate immunity.
Abstract
To maintain the integrity of an organism constantly challenged by pathogens, the immune system is endowed with a variety of cell types. B lymphocytes were initially thought to only play a role in the adaptive branch of immunity. However, a number of converging observations revealed that two B-cell subsets, marginal zone (MZ) and B1 cells, exhibit unique developmental and functional characteristics, and can contribute to innate immune responses. In addition to their capacity to mount a local antibody response against type-2 T-cell-independent (TI-2) antigens, MZ B-cells can participate to T-cell-dependent (TD) immune responses through the capture and import of blood-borne antigens to follicular areas of the spleen. Here, we discuss the multiple roles of MZ B-cells in humans, non-human primates, and rodents. We also summarize studies - performed in transgenic mice expressing fully human antibodies on their B-cells and in macaques whose infection with Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) represents a suitable model for HIV-1 infection in humans - showing that infectious agents have developed strategies to subvert MZ B-cell functions. In these two experimental models, we observed that two microbial superantigens for B-cells (protein...Continue Reading
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