Pre-Germinal Center Interactions with T Cells Are Natural Checkpoints to Limit Autoimmune B Cell Responses.

Interactions with Ag-specific T cells drive B cell activation and fate choices that ultimately determine the quality of high-affinity Ab responses. As such, these interactions, and especially the long-lived interactions that occur before germinal center formation, may be important checkpoints to regulate undesirable responses. Using mouse model Ag systems, we directly observed interactions between T and B cells responding to the self-antigen myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and found that they are of lower quality compared with interactions between cells responding to the model foreign Ag nitrophenyl-haptenated OVA. This was associated with reduced expression of molecules that facilitate these interactions on the B cells, but not on T cells. B cell expression of these molecules was not dictated by the T cell partner, nor could the relative lack of expression on MOG-specific (MOG-sp.) B cells be reversed by a multivalent Ag. Instead, MOG-sp. B cells were inherently less responsive to BCR stimulation than MOG-non-sp. cells. However, the phenotype of MOG-sp. B cells was not consistent with previous descriptions of autoimmune B cells that had been tolerized via regular exposure to systemically expressed self-antigen. This suggests that alternate anergy pathways may exist to limit B cell responses to tissue-restricted self-antigens.

Trickle-Down Effects of Entrepreneurial Bricolage and Business Model Innovation on Employee Creativity: Evidence From Entrepreneurial Internet Firms in China.

Although most existing studies have considered entrepreneurial bricolage as a means to overcome resource constraints in new ventures, few have explored the direct effects of entrepreneurial bricolage on employee creativity, particularly in the context of entrepreneurial internet firms. Drawing from multiple theories (i.e., social learning theory and social cognitive theory), this study proposes a cross-level mediation model for the trickle-down effects of entrepreneurial bricolage and business model innovation on employee creativity. By using a 2-wave longitudinal design, survey data were collected from multiple sources, including 49 leaders and 336 employees from entrepreneurial internet firms in China. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was applied to analyze the cross-level mediation model. The results show that both entrepreneurial bricolage and business model innovation failed to significantly and positively direct employee creativity. Furthermore, entrepreneurial bricolage exerted a cross-level influence on employee creativity that was sequentially transmitted through between-level business model innovation and within-level creative self-efficacy. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are also discussed.