Germinal center alloantibody responses are mediated exclusively by indirect-pathway CD4 T follicular helper cells

J Immunol. 2012 Mar 15;188(6):2643-52. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102830. Epub 2012 Feb 8.

Abstract

The durable alloantibody responses that develop in organ transplant patients indicate long-lived plasma cell output from T-dependent germinal centers (GCs), but which of the two pathways of CD4 T cell allorecognition is responsible for generating allospecific T follicular helper cells remains unclear. This was addressed by reconstituting T cell-deficient mice with monoclonal populations of TCR-transgenic CD4 T cells that recognized alloantigen only as conformationally intact protein (direct pathway) or only as self-restricted allopeptide (indirect pathway) and then assessing the alloantibody response to a heart graft. Recipients reconstituted with indirect-pathway CD4 T cells developed long-lasting IgG alloantibody responses, with splenic GCs and allospecific bone marrow plasma cells readily detectable 50 d after heart transplantation. Differentiation of the transferred CD4 T cells into T follicular helper cells was confirmed by follicular localization and by acquisition of signature phenotype. In contrast, IgG alloantibody was not detectable in recipient mice reconstituted with direct-pathway CD4 T cells. Neither prolongation of the response by preventing NK cell killing of donor dendritic cells nor prior immunization to develop CD4 T cell memory altered the inability of the direct pathway to provide allospecific B cell help. CD4 T cell help for GC alloantibody responses is provided exclusively via the indirect-allorecognition pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology
  • Cell Separation
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Germinal Center / cytology
  • Germinal Center / immunology*
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Isoantibodies / biosynthesis
  • Isoantibodies / immunology*
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology*
  • Lymphocyte Depletion
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / cytology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / immunology*
  • Transplantation Immunology / immunology*
  • Transplantation, Homologous / immunology

Substances

  • Isoantibodies