Somatic diversification in the absence of antigen-driven responses is the hallmark of the IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cell repertoire in infants

S Weller, M Mamani-Matsuda, C Picard… - The Journal of …, 2008 - rupress.org
S Weller, M Mamani-Matsuda, C Picard, C Cordier, D Lecoeuche, F Gauthier, JC Weill…
The Journal of experimental medicine, 2008rupress.org
T cell–dependent immune responses develop soon after birth, whereas it takes 2 yr for
humans to develop T cell–independent responses. We used this dissociation to analyze the
repertoire diversification of IgM+ IgD+ CD27+ B cells (also known as “IgM memory” B cells),
comparing these cells with switched B cells in children< 2 yr of age, with the aim of
determining whether these two subsets are developmentally related. We show that the
repertoire of IgM+ IgD+ CD27+ B cells in the spleen and blood displays no sign of antigen …
T cell–dependent immune responses develop soon after birth, whereas it takes 2 yr for humans to develop T cell–independent responses. We used this dissociation to analyze the repertoire diversification of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells (also known as “IgM memory” B cells), comparing these cells with switched B cells in children <2 yr of age, with the aim of determining whether these two subsets are developmentally related. We show that the repertoire of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells in the spleen and blood displays no sign of antigen-driven activation and expansion on H-CDR3 spectratyping, despite the many antigenic challenges provided by childhood vaccinations. This repertoire differed markedly from those of switched B cells and splenic germinal center B cells, even at the early stage of differentiation associated with μ heavy chain expression. These data provide evidence for the developmental diversification of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells, at least in very young children, outside of T cell–dependent and –independent immune responses.
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