Objective: Natural immunity is emerging as an important mediator of protection from atherogenesis. Natural IgM antibodies that recognize oxidation-specific epitopes on low-density lipoprotein or phospholipids and the B-1a B cells that produce them attenuate atherosclerosis. We previously demonstrated that Apoe(-/-) mice globally deficient in the helix-loop-helix protein inhibitor of differentiation 3 (Id3) develop early diet-induced atherosclerosis. Furthermore, B cell-mediated attenuation of atherosclerosis in B cell-deficient mice was dependent on Id3. Here, we sought to determine whether Id3 regulates B-1a B cells and the natural antibodies that they produce and identify mechanisms mediating these effects.
Approach and results: Mice lacking Id3 had significantly fewer B-1a B cells in the spleen and peritoneal cavity and reduced serum levels of the natural antibody E06. B cell-specific deletion of Id3 revealed that this effect was not because of the loss of Id3 in B cells. Interleukin (IL)-33 induced abundant, Id3-dependent IL-5 production in the recently identified innate lymphoid cell, the natural helper (NH) cell, but not Th2 or mast cells. In addition, delivery of IL-5 to Id3-deficient mice restored B-1a B cell proliferation. B-1a B cells were present in aortic samples also containing NH cells. Aortic NH cells produced IL-5, a B-1a B cell mitogen in response to IL-33 stimulation.
Conclusions: These studies are the first to identify NH and B-1a B cells in the aorta and provide evidence that Id3 is a key regulator of NH cell IL-5 production and B-1a B cell homeostasis.
Keywords: arteriosclerosis; basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors; mmune system.