Overexpression of T-bet in HIV infection is associated with accumulation of B cells outside germinal centers and poor affinity maturation.

ABSTRACT: Nearly all chronic human infections are associated with alterations in the memory B cell (MBC) compartment, including a large expansion of CD19^hiT-bet^hi MBC in the peripheral blood of HIV-infected individuals with chronic viremia. Despite their prevalence, it is unclear how these B cells arise and whether they contribute to the inefficiency of antibody-mediated immunity in chronic infectious diseases. We addressed these questions by characterizing T-bet-expressing B cells in lymph nodes (LN) and identifying a strong T-bet signature among HIV-specific MBC associated with poor immunologic outcome. Confocal microscopy and quantitative imaging revealed that T-bet^hi B cells in LN of HIV-infected chronically viremic individuals distinctly accumulated outside germ

SUBMITTER: Austin JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7479651 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature