Clonal Anergy of CD117chB6 B Cell Progenitors Induced by Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup J is Associated with Immunological Tolerance

Overview

Journal Retrovirology

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2019 Jan 4

PMID 30602379

Citations 7

Authors

Shuhai He

Gaoying Zheng

Defang Zhou

Gen Li

Mingjun Zhu

Xusheng Du

Jing Zhou

Ziqiang Cheng

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The pathogenesis of immunological tolerance caused by avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), an oncogenic retrovirus, is largely unknown.

Results: In this study, the development, differentiation, and immunological capability of B cells and their progenitors infected with ALV-J were studied both morphologically and functionally by using a model of ALV-J congenital infection. Compared with posthatch infection, congenital infection of ALV-J resulted in severe immunological tolerance, which was identified as the absence of detectable specific antivirus antibodies. In congenitally infected chickens, immune organs, particularly the bursa of Fabricius, were poorly developed. Moreover, IgM-and IgG-positive cells and total immunoglobulin levels were significantly decreased in these chickens. Large numbers of bursa follicles with no differentiation into cortex and medulla indicated that B cell development was arrested at the early stage. Flow cytometry analysis further confirmed that ALV-J blocked the differentiation of CD117chB6 B cell progenitors in the bursa of Fabricius. Furthermore, both the humoral immunity and the immunological capability of B cells and their progenitors were significantly suppressed, as assessed by (a) the antibody titres against sheep red blood cells and the Marek's disease virus attenuated serotype 1 vaccine; (b) the proliferative response of B cells against thymus-independent antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the spleen germinal centres; and (c) the capacities for proliferation, differentiation and immunoglobulin gene class-switch recombination of B cell progenitors in response to LPS and interleukin-4(IL-4) in vitro.

Conclusions: These findings suggested that the anergy of B cells in congenitally infected chickens is caused by the developmental arrest and dysfunction of B cell progenitors, which is an important factor for the immunological tolerance induced by ALV-J.

Citing Articles

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Fandino S, Gomez-Lucia E, Benitez L, Domenech A Animals (Basel). 2023; 13(14).

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