1. MyD88 is required for the formation of long-term humoral immunity to virus infection.
- Author
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Guay HM, Andreyeva TA, Garcea RL, Welsh RM, and Szomolanyi-Tsuda E
- Subjects
- Animals, B-Lymphocytes immunology, Immunoglobulin G blood, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Receptors, Interleukin-1 physiology, Receptors, Interleukin-18 physiology, Signal Transduction, T-Lymphocytes immunology, Toll-Like Receptors physiology, Viral Load, Antibodies, Viral blood, Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 physiology, Polyomavirus Infections immunology
- Abstract
Development of long-term humoral immunity is a major goal of vaccination, but the mechanisms involved in the formation of long-term Ab responses are still being determined. In this study, we identify a previously unknown requirement for MyD88, an adaptor molecule that mediates signals at most TLRs, for the generation of long-term humoral immunity during live virus infection. Polyoma virus-infected MyD88 knockout mice generated strong acute T cell-dependent antiviral IgM and IgG responses and developed germinal centers. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase, an enzyme required for isotype switching and somatic hypermutation, was also induced in germinal center B cells, similar to wild-type mice. However, MyD88 knockout mice failed to develop bone marrow plasma cells and did not maintain long-term serum antiviral Ab responses. The isotype distribution of antiviral IgG responses was also altered; serum IgG2a and IgG2b levels were diminished, whereas IgG1 responses were not affected. The requirement for MyD88 for the formation of long-term humoral immunity to polyoma virus was intrinsic to B cells and was independent of IL-1R and IL-18R, cytokine receptors that also signal through MyD88. Our findings show that MyD88-dependent signaling pathways in B cells are essential for effectively generating long-term Ab responses and implicate a role for TLR in the formation of long-term humoral immunity.
- Published
- 2007
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