Author Identifier
Lois Balmer: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5618-0555
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Immunology and Cell Biology
Volume
102
Issue
10
First Page
935
Last Page
948
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
72564
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PPE-129119) / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2019-05047) / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada / La Fondation de l’Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont / Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Sante
Abstract
The humoral response is complex and involves multiple cellular populations and signaling pathways. Bacterial and viral infections, as well as immunization regimens, can trigger this type of response, promoting the formation of microanatomical cellular structures called germinal centers (GCs). GCs formed in secondary lymphoid organs support the differentiation of high-affinity plasma cells and memory B cells. There is growing evidence that the quality of the humoral response is influenced by genetic variants. Using 12 genetically divergent mouse strains, we assessed the impact of genetics on GC cellular traits. At steady state, in the spleen, lymph nodes and Peyer's patches, we quantified GC B cells, plasma cells and follicular helper T cells. These traits were also quantified in the spleen of mice following immunization with a foreign antigen, namely, sheep red blood cells, in addition to the number and size of GCs. We observed both strain- and organ-specific variations in cell type abundance, as well as for GC number and size. Moreover, we find that some of these traits are highly heritable. Importantly, the results of this study inform on the impact of genetic diversity in shaping the GC response and identify the traits that are the most impacted by genetic background.
DOI
10.1111/imcb.12823
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Aubin, A. M., Vdovenko, D., Collin, R., Balmer, L., Coderre, L., Morahan, G., ... & Lesage, S. (2024). Variations in the germinal center response revealed by genetically diverse mouse strains. Immunology and Cell Biology, 102(10), 935-948. https://doi.org/10.1111/imcb.12823