Published online before print September 7, 2007

This Article Full Text (Reprint (PDF)) All Versions of this Article: 0507279v1 82/6/1430    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Medina, F. Articles by Brieva, J. A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Medina, F. Articles by Brieva, J. A

© by The Society for Leukocyte Biology
Journal of Leukocyte Biology, doi:10.1189/0507279

Received for publication May 4, 2007.
Revised July 12, 2007.
Accepted for publication July 16, 2007.

Article

Higher maturity and connective tissue association distinguish resident from recently generated human tonsil plasma cells

Servicio de Inmunología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain

^@ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: josea.brieva.sspa{at}juntadeandalucia.es.

Abstract

Human plasma cells (PC) are present in cell suspensions obtained from the tonsil by mechanical disaggregation (PC^MECH). The present study shows that a collagenase treatment of tonsillar debris remaining after mechanical disaggregation yielded similar proportions of PC (PC^COLL). Moreover, PC^MECH were present in suspensions highly enriched in germinal center cells whereas PC^COLL contained most of the IgA-secreting cells, suggesting their predominant location in follicular and parafollicular areas and connective tissue-rich zones such as tonsil subepithelium, respectively. Tonsil PC^MECH and PC^COLL shared the phenotype CD38^high CD19⁺ CD20^low CD45^high, expressed equivalent amounts of PRDI BF1/Blimp-1 transcription factor, and carried similarly mutated IgVH6 genes. However, they differed in several features. 1) PC^MECH still expressed the early B cell transcription factor BSAP and were HLA-DR^high; in contrast, PC^COLL were BSAP^-and HLA-DR^low. 2) PC^MECH were CD95⁺ and Bcl-2^+/- whereas PC^COLL showed CD95^+/- and Bcl-2⁺ expression; in addition, PC^MECH exhibited increased spontaneous apoptosis. 3) The two PC subsets exhibited distinctive adhesion molecule profiles, since PC^COLL expressed higher levels of CD31, CD44, and CD49d, but a lower level of CD11a than PC^MECH. These results suggest that PC^MECH are recently generated, short-living PC, and PC^COLL constitutes a subset with higher maturity and survival, which resides in connective tissue-rich areas.

Key Words: PC biology • adhesion molecule • B cell transcription factor • differentiation

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Jimenez-Gomez, J. L. Gomez-Perales, A. Ramos-Amaya, I. Gonzalez-Garcia, A. Campos-Caro, and J. A. Brieva Modulated selection of IGHV gene somatic hypermutation during systemic maturation of human plasma cells J. Leukoc. Biol., March 1, 2010; 87(3): 523 - 530. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Jourdan, A. Caraux, J. De Vos, G. Fiol, M. Larroque, C. Cognot, C. Bret, C. Duperray, D. Hose, and B. Klein An in vitro model of differentiation of memory B cells into plasmablasts and plasma cells including detailed phenotypic and molecular characterization Blood, December 10, 2009; 114(25): 5173 - 5181. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. K. Arendt, M. Ramirez-Alvarado, L. A. Sikkink, J. J. Keats, G. J. Ahmann, A. Dispenzieri, R. Fonseca, R. P. Ketterling, R. A. Knudson, E. M. Mulvihill, et al. Biologic and genetic characterization of the novel amyloidogenic lambda light chain-secreting human cell lines, ALMC-1 and ALMC-2 Blood, September 1, 2008; 112(5): 1931 - 1941. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]