Plasma cell survival in the absence of B cellmemory

Nature Communications, 2017

Abstract

Pre-existing serum antibodies play an important role in vaccine-mediated protection againstinfection but the underlying mechanisms of immune memory are unclear. Clinical studiesindicate that antigen-specific antibody responses can be maintained for many years, leadingto theories that reactivation/differentiation of memory B cells into plasma cells is required tosustain long-term antibody production. Here, we present a decade-long study in which wedemonstrate site-specific survival of bone marrow-derived plasma cells and durable antibodyresponses to multiple virus and vaccine antigens in rhesus macaques for years after sustainedmemory B cell depletion. Moreover, BrdU+cells with plasma cell morphology can be detectedfor 10 years after vaccination/BrdU administration, indicating that plasma cells may persistfor a prolonged period of time in the absence of cell division. On the basis of these results,long-lived plasma cells represent a key cell population responsible for long-term antibodyproduction and serological memory.

In this study, Anti-human CD38 (CPT-100851) by our Partner Caprico Biotechnologies was used for CD38 fractionation.