Role of B-1 cells in the immune response against an antigen encapsulated into phosphatidylcholine-containing liposomes

Yoelys Cruz-Leal, Yoan Machado, Alejandro López-Requena, Liem Canet, Rady Laborde, Anuska Marcelino Alvares, María F. Lucatelli Laurindo, Julio F. Santo Tomas, María E. Alonso, Carlos Álvarez, Renato A. Mortara, Ana F. Popi, Mario Mariano, Rolando Pérez, María E. Lanio

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

B-1 lymphocytes comprise a unique subset of B cells that differ phenotypically, ontogenetically and functionally from conventional B-2 cells. A frequent specificity of the antibody repertoire of peritoneal B-1 cells is phosphatidylcholine. Liposomes containing phosphatidylcholine have been studied as adjuvants and their interaction with dendritic cells and macrophages has been demonstrated. However, the role of B-1 cells in the adjuvanticity of liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine has not been explored. In the present work, we studied the contribution of B-1 cells to the humoral response against ovalbumin (OVA) encapsulated into dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and cholesterol-containing liposomes. BALB/X-linked immunodeficient (xid) mice, which are deficient in B-1 cells, showed quantitative and qualitative differences in the anti-OVA antibody response compared with wild-type animals after immunization with these liposomes. The OVA-specific immune response was significantly increased in the BALB/xid mice when reconstituted with B-1 cells from naive BALB/c mice. Our results indicate the internalization of DPPC-containing liposomes by these cells and their migration from the peritoneal cavity to the spleen. Phosphatidylcholine significantly contributed to the immunogenicity of liposomes, as DPPC-containing liposomes more effectively stimulated the anti- OVA response compared with vesicles composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol. In conclusion, we present evidence for a cognate interaction between B-1 cells and phosphatidylcholine liposomes, modulating the immune response to encapsulated antigens. This provides a novel targeting approach to assess the role of B-1 cells in humoral immunity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)427-437
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Immunology
Volume26
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adjuvants
  • B-1 lymphocytes
  • Humoral response

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