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Specific In Vivo Deletion of B-Cell Subpopulations Expressing Human Immunoglobulins by the B-Cell Superantigen Protein L

Institut National de Sante et de Recherche Medicale (INSERM U 430), Immunopathologie Humaine, 75006 Paris, France,¹ National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1820,² Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Lund University, SE-22184 Lund, Sweden³

Received 3 December 2003/ Returned for modification 24 January 2004/ Accepted 23 February 2004

Some pathogens have evolved to produce proteins, called B-cell superantigens, that can interact with human immunoglobulin variable regions, independently of the combining site, and activate B lymphocytes that express the target immunoglobulins. However, the in vivo consequences of these interactions on human B-cell numbers and function are largely unknown. Using transgenic mice expressing fully human immunoglobulins, we studied the consequences of in vivo exposure of protein L of Peptostreptococcus magnus with human immunoglobulins. In the mature pool of B cells, protein L exposure resulted in a specific reduction of splenic marginal-zone B cells and peritoneal B-1 cells. Splenic B cells exhibited a skewed light-chain repertoire consistent with the capacity of protein L to bind specific kappa gene products. Remarkably, these two B-cell subsets are implicated in innate B-cell immunity, allowing rapid clearance of pathogens. Thus, the present study reveals a novel mechanism that may be used by some infectious agents to subvert a first line of the host's immune defense.

Editor: F. C. Fang

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