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ShareJuly 14, 2008 — Antibodies are proteins that are a crucial component of the immune system. They are produced in large amounts by immune cells known as plasma cells, which live in just a few parts of the body, including the bone marrow and special areas of the various parts of the body that are exposed to the outside (e.g., the gut, nose, and airways).
These areas are known as mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and include tissues such as the tonsils, but what regulates plasma cell survival in MALT has not been determined. Now, however, Bertrand Huard and colleagues, at Geneva University Medical Center, Switzerland, have provided new insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling plasma cell survival in MALT.
In the study, analysis of tonsils and MALT from the lower gut indicated that a protein known as APRIL is important for promoting the survival of plasma cells in human MALT. APRIL was found to work by increasing plasma cell expression of proteins that protect cells from a form of death known as apoptosis.
Expression of APRIL was shown to be greater in tonsils infected with a microbe than in noninfected tonsils and the cells producing the increased APRIL were identified as immune cells known as neutrophils that had been recruited to the site of infection.
APRIL from the neutrophils was retained in the tonsils bound to molecules known as heparan sulfate proteoglycans, creating an APRIL-rich niche for the plasma cells to survive in. The authors therefore suggest that the longevity of plasma cells in MALT is controlled, in part, by APRIL-secreting neutrophils recruited to sites of infection.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- APRIL secreted by neutrophils binds to heparan sulfate proteoglycans to create plasma cell niches in human mucosa. Journal of Clinical Investigation, July 10, 2008
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