Early, adjuvant-responsive epigenetic programs in B cells imprint subsequent plasma cell survival and the duration of humoral immunity.

ABSTRACT: The duration of antibody production varies across different infections and vaccines. To define molecular programs that promote durable humoral immunity, we used mice deficient in ZBTB20, a transcription factor that is highly expressed by plasma cells and required to maintain antibody production in vivo. However, genetic deletion of Zbtb20 in long-lived plasma cells had no impact on the duration of antibody production. Instead, deletion of Zbtb20 in B cells only within the first week after immunization caused a subsequent failure to maintain plasma cells. Through single-cell ATAC-sequencing, we observed elevated IRF8- and Ets-dependent epigenetic programs in ZBTB20-deficient B cells at 7 days post-immunization. The corresponding transcriptional changes were observed ~1

SUBMITTER: Ripperger TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12393448 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature