Cognate T and B cell interaction and association of follicular helper T cells with B cell responses in Vibrio cholerae O1 infected Bangladeshi adults

Publication date: Available online 21 December 2018Source: Microbes and InfectionAuthor(s): Rasheduzzaman Rashu, Taufiqur Rahman Bhuiyan, Mohammad Rubel Hoq, Lazina Hossain, Anik Paul, Ashraful Islam Khan, Fahima Chowdhury, Jason B. Harris, Edward T. Ryan, Stephen B. Calderwood, Ana A. Weil, Firdausi QadriAbstractVibrio cholerae O1 can cause life threatening diarrheal disease if left untreated. T cells can play critical roles in inducing B cell mediated immunity. As the mechanism of T cell dependent B cell maturation is not well established, we hypothesized that a specific population of T (follicular helper T, Tfh)) cells, are involved in B cell maturation following cholera. We found flowcytometrically that V. cholerae infection induces significant increases in circulating Tfh cells expressing B cell maturation associated protein CD40L early in disease. The increased Tfh cells expressing CD40L recognize cholera toxin most prominently, with lessened responses to V. cholerae membrane preparation (MP) and V. cholerae cytolysin (VCC). We further showed that early induction of Tfh cells and CD40L was associated with later memory B cell responses to same antigens. Lastly, we demonstrated in vitro that Tfh cells isolated after cholera can stimulate class switching of co-cultured, isolated B cells from patients with cholera, leading to production of the more durable IgG antibody isotype colorimetrically. These studies were conducted on circulating Tfh cells; future studies will be di...
Source: Microbes and Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research