Work

Rate of Immune Complex Cycling in Follicular Dendritic Cells Determines the Extent of Protecting Antigen Integrity and Availability to Germinal Center B Cells

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) retain immune complexes (ICs) for prolonged time periods and are important for germinal center (GC) reactions. ICs undergo periodic cycling in FDCs, a mechanism supporting an extended half-life of Ag. Based on experimental data, we estimated that the average residence time of PE-ICs on FDC surface and interior were 21 and 36 min, respectively. GC simulations show that Ag cycling might impact GC dynamics because of redistribution of Ag on the FDC surface and by protecting Ag from degradation. Ag protection and influence on GC dynamics varied with Ag cycling time and total Ag concentration. Simulations predict that blocking Ag cycling terminates the GC reaction and decreases plasma cell production. Considering that cycling of Ag could be a target for the modulation of GC reactions, our findings highlight the importance of understanding the mechanism and regulation of IC cycling in FDCs.

Source: The Journal of Immunology

DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001355

Authors: Theinmozhi Arulraj, Sebastian C. Binder, Michael Meyer-Hermann

Institutions: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, Technische Universität Braunschweig

Language: English

Topic: Immunotherapy and Immune Responses

Subfield: Immunology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: European Commission