Development of Anti-CD32b Antibodies with Enhanced Fc Function for the Treatment of B and Plasma Cell Malignancies.

The sole inhibitory Fcγ receptor CD32b (FcγRIIb) is expressed throughout B and plasma cell development and on their malignant counterparts. CD32b expression on malignant B cells is known to provide a mechanism of resistance to rituximab that can be ameliorated with a CD32b-blocking antibody. CD32b, therefore, represents an attractive tumor antigen for targeting with a monoclonal antibody (mAb).

Requirement of Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Translocation Protein 1 Protease Activity for Fcγ Receptor-Induced Arthritis, but Not Fcγ Receptor-Mediated Platelet Elimination, in Mice.

Objective: Fcγ receptors (FcγR) play important roles in both protective and pathogenic immune responses. The assembly of the CBM signalosome encompassing caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9, B cell CLL/lymphoma 10, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT-1) is required for optimal FcγR-induced canonical NF-κB activation and proinflammatory cytokine release. This study was undertaken to clarify the relevance of MALT-1 protease activity in FcγR-driven events and evaluate the therapeutic potential of selective MALT-1 protease inhibitors in FcγR-mediated diseases.

Impaired ATM activation in B cells is associated with bone resorption in rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may display atypical CD21 B cells in their blood, but the implication of this observation remains unclear. We report here that the group of patients with RA and elevated frequencies of CD21 B cells shows decreased ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) expression and activation in B cells compared with other patients with RA and healthy donor controls. In agreement with ATM involvement in the regulation of V(D)J recombination, patients with RA who show defective ATM function displayed a skewed B cell receptor (BCR) Igκ repertoire, which resembled that of patients with ataxia telangiectasia (AT).

Self-reactive VH4-34-expressing IgG B cells recognize commensal bacteria.

The germline immunoglobulin (Ig) variable heavy chain 4-34 () gene segment encodes in humans intrinsically self-reactive antibodies that recognize I/i carbohydrates expressed by erythrocytes with a specific motif in their framework region 1 (FWR1). VH4-34-expressing clones are common in the naive B cell repertoire but are rarely found in IgG memory B cells from healthy individuals. In contrast, CD27IgG B cells from patients genetically deficient for IRAK4 or MYD88, which mediate the function of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) except TLR3, contained VH4-34-expressing clones and showed decreased somatic hypermutation frequencies.

Ex vivo analysis of human memory B lymphocytes specific for A and B influenza hemagglutinin by polychromatic flow-cytometry.

Understanding the impact that human memory B-cells (MBC), primed by previous infections or vaccination, exert on neutralizing antibody responses against drifted influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is key to design best protective vaccines. A major obstacle to these studies is the lack of practical tools to analyze HA-specific MBCs in human PBMCs ex vivo. We report here an efficient method to identify MBCs carrying HA-specific BCR in frozen PBMC samples.

The PTPN22 allele encoding an R620W variant interferes with the removal of developing autoreactive B cells in humans.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) gene polymorphisms are associated with many autoimmune diseases. The major risk allele encodes an R620W amino acid change that alters B cell receptor (BCR) signaling involved in the regulation of central B cell tolerance. To assess whether this PTPN22 risk allele affects the removal of developing autoreactive B cells, we tested by ELISA the reactivity of recombinant antibodies isolated from single B cells from asymptomatic healthy individuals carrying one or two PTPN22 risk allele(s) encoding the PTPN22 R620W variant.

Complement receptor 2/CD21- human naive B cells contain mostly autoreactive unresponsive clones.

Complement receptor 2-negative (CR2/CD21(-)) B cells have been found enriched in patients with autoimmune diseases and in common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients who are prone to autoimmunity. However, the physiology of CD21(-/lo) B cells remains poorly characterized. We found that some rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients also display an increased frequency of CD21(-/lo) B cells in their blood.

IRAK-4- and MyD88-dependent pathways are essential for the removal of developing autoreactive B cells in humans.

Most autoreactive B cells are normally counterselected during early B cell development. To determine whether Toll-like receptors (TLRs) regulate the removal of autoreactive B lymphocytes, we tested the reactivity of recombinant antibodies from single B cells isolated from patients deficient for interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and UNC-93B. Indeed, all TLRs except TLR3 require IRAK-4 and MyD88 to signal, and UNC-93B-deficient cells are unresponsive to TLR3, TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9.

CD40 ligand and MHC class II expression are essential for human peripheral B cell tolerance.

Hyper-IgM (HIGM) syndromes are primary immunodeficiencies characterized by defects of class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation. HIGM patients who carry mutations in the CD40-ligand (CD40L) gene expressed by CD4(+) T cells suffer from recurrent infections and often develop autoimmune disorders. To investigate the impact of CD40L-CD40 interactions on human B cell tolerance, we tested by ELISA the reactivity of recombinant antibodies isolated from single B cells from three CD40L-deficient patients.

The SH2 domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase SHIP1 is recruited to the intracytoplasmic domain of human FcgammaRIIB and is mandatory for negative regulation of B cell activation.

Murine FcgammaRIIB were demonstrated to recruit SH2 domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatases (SHIP1/2), when their ITIM is tyrosyl-phosphorylated upon co-aggregation with BCR, and SHIP1 to account for FcgammaRIIB-dependent negative regulation of murine B cell activation. Although human FcgammaRIIB share the same ITIM as murine FcgammaRIIB and similarly inhibit human B cell activation, which among the four known SH2 domain-containing (tyrosine or inositol) phosphatases is/are recruited by human FcgammaRIIB is unclear. Our recent finding that, besides the ITIM, a second tyrosine-based motif is mandatory for murine FcgammaRIIB to recruit SHIP1 challenged the possibility that human FcgammaRIIB recruit this phosphatase.

Linker for activation of T cells integrates positive and negative signaling in mast cells.

The transmembrane adapter linker for activation of T cells (LAT) is thought to couple immunoreceptors to intracellular signaling pathways. In mice, its intracytoplasmic domain contains nine tyrosines which, when phosphorylated upon receptor aggregation, recruit Src-homology 2 domain-containing cytosolic enzymes and adapters. The four distal tyrosines are critical for both TCR and FcepsilonRI signaling.

Two distinct tyrosine-based motifs enable the inhibitory receptor FcgammaRIIB to cooperatively recruit the inositol phosphatases SHIP1/2 and the adapters Grb2/Grap.

FcgammaRIIB are low-affinity receptors for IgG that contain an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM) and inhibit immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-dependent cell activation. When coaggregated with ITAM-bearing receptors, FcgammaRIIB become tyrosyl-phosphorylated and recruit the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing inositol 5'-phosphatases SHIP1 and SHIP2, which mediate inhibition. The FcgammaRIIB ITIM was proposed to be necessary and sufficient for recruiting SHIP1/2.