Recreation of an antigen-driven germinal center in vitro by providing B cells with phagocytic antigen.

Ana Martínez-Riaño, Pilar Delgado, Rut Tercero, Sara Barrero, Pilar Mendoza, Clara L Oeste, David Abia, Elena Rodríguez-Bovolenta, Martin Turner, Balbino Alarcón

Communications biology 2023 Apr 20

filter terms:

Successful vaccines rely on activating a functional humoral immune response through the generation of class-switched high affinity immunoglobulins (Igs). The germinal center (GC) reaction is crucial for this process, in which B cells are selected in their search for antigen and T cell help. A major hurdle to understand the mechanisms of B cell:T cell cooperation has been the lack of an antigen-specific in vitro GC system. Here we report the generation of antigen-specific, high-affinity, class-switched Igs in simple 2-cell type cultures of naive B and T cells. B cell antigen uptake by phagocytosis is key to generate these Igs. We have used the method to interrogate if T cells confer directional help to cognate B cells that present antigen and to bystander B cells. We find that bystander B cells do not generate class-switched antibodies due to a defective formation of T-B conjugates and an early conversion into memory B cells. © 2023. The Author(s).

Citation

Ana Martínez-Riaño, Pilar Delgado, Rut Tercero, Sara Barrero, Pilar Mendoza, Clara L Oeste, David Abia, Elena Rodríguez-Bovolenta, Martin Turner, Balbino Alarcón. Recreation of an antigen-driven germinal center in vitro by providing B cells with phagocytic antigen. Communications biology. 2023 Apr 20;6(1):437