Long-term retention of antigens in germinal centers is controlled by the spatial organization of the follicular dendritic cell network.

Germinal centers (GCs) require sustained availability of antigens to promote antibody affinity maturation against pathogens and vaccines. A key source of antigens for GC B cells are immune complexes (ICs) displayed on follicular dendritic cells (FDCs). Here we show that FDC spatial organization regulates antigen dynamics in the GC. We identify heterogeneity within the FDC network. While the entire light zone (LZ) FDC network captures ICs initially, only the central cells of the network function as the antigen reservoir, where different antigens arriving from subsequent immunizations colocalize. Mechanistically, central LZ FDCs constitutively express subtly higher CR2 membrane densities than peripheral LZ FDCs, which strongly increases the IC retention half-life. Even though repeated immunizations gradually saturate central FDCs, B cell responses remain efficient because new antigens partially displace old ones. These results reveal the principles shaping antigen display on FDCs during the GC reaction.

Chronic calcium signaling in IgE+ B cells limits plasma cell differentiation and survival.

In contrast to other antibody isotypes, B cells switched to IgE respond transiently and do not give rise to long-lived plasma cells (PCs) or memory B cells. To better understand IgE-BCR-mediated control of IgE responses, we developed whole-genome CRISPR screening that enabled comparison of IgE+ and IgG1+ B cell requirements for proliferation, survival, and differentiation into PCs. IgE+ PCs exhibited dependency on the PI3K-mTOR axis that increased protein amounts of the transcription factor IRF4. In contrast, loss of components of the calcium-calcineurin-NFAT pathway promoted IgE+ PC differentiation. Mice bearing a B cell-specific deletion of calcineurin B1 exhibited increased production of IgE+ PCs. Mechanistically, sustained elevation of intracellular calcium in IgE+ PCs downstream of the IgE-BCR promoted BCL2L11-dependent apoptosis. Thus, chronic calcium signaling downstream of the IgE-BCR controls the self-limiting character of IgE responses and may be relevant to the accumulation of IgE-producing cells in allergic disease.

Germinal center B cells recognize antigen through a specialized immune synapse architecture.

B cell activation is regulated by B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling and antigen internalization in immune synapses. Using large-scale imaging across B cell subsets, we found that, in contrast with naive and memory B cells, which gathered antigen toward the synapse center before internalization, germinal center (GC) B cells extracted antigen by a distinct pathway using small peripheral clusters. Both naive and GC B cell synapses required proximal BCR signaling, but GC cells signaled less through the protein kinase C-ß-NF-κB pathway and produced stronger tugging forces on the BCR, thereby more stringently regulating antigen binding. Consequently, GC B cells extracted antigen with better affinity discrimination than naive B cells, suggesting that specialized biomechanical patterns in B cell synapses regulate T cell-dependent selection of high-affinity B cells in GCs.

Pathogenic ACVR1R206H activation by Activin A-induced receptor clustering and autophosphorylation.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) are debilitating diseases that share causal mutations in ACVR1, a TGF-ß family type I receptor. ACVR1R206H is a frequent mutation in both diseases. Pathogenic signaling via the SMAD1/5 pathway is mediated by Activin A, but how the mutation triggers aberrant signaling is not known. We show that ACVR1 is essential for Activin A-mediated SMAD1/5 phosphorylation and is activated by two distinct mechanisms. Wild-type ACVR1 is activated by the Activin type I receptors, ACVR1B/C. In contrast, ACVR1R206H activation does not require upstream kinases, but is predominantly activated via Activin A-dependent receptor clustering, which induces its auto-activation. We use optogenetics and live-imaging approaches to demonstrate Activin A-induced receptor clustering and show it requires the type II receptors ACVR2A/B. Our data provide molecular mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of FOP and DIPG by linking the causal activating genetic mutation to disrupted signaling.

Endophilin A2 regulates B-cell endocytosis and is required for germinal center and humoral responses.

Antigen-specific B-cell responses require endosomal trafficking to regulate antigen uptake and presentation to helper T cells, and to control expression and signaling of immune receptors. However, the molecular composition of B-cell endosomal trafficking pathways and their specific roles in B-cell responses have not been systematically investigated. Here, we report high-throughput identification of genes regulating B-cell receptor (BCR)-mediated antigen internalization using genome-wide functional screens. We show that antigen internalization depends both on constitutive, clathrin-mediated endocytosis and on antigen-induced, clathrin-independent endocytosis mediated by endophilin A2. Although endophilin A2-mediated endocytosis is dispensable for antigen presentation, it is selectively required for metabolic support of B-cell proliferation, in part through regulation of iron uptake. Consequently, endophilin A2-deficient mice show defects in GC B-cell responses and production of high-affinity IgG. The requirement for endophilin A2 highlights a unique importance of clathrin-independent intracellular trafficking in GC B-cell clonal expansion and antibody responses.

Digital holography-based 3D particle localization for single-molecule tweezer techniques.

We present a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique for the fast tracking of microscopic objects in a fluid environment. Our technique couples digital holographic microscopy with three-dimensional localization via parabolic masking. Compared with existing approaches, our method reconstructs 3D volumes from single-plane images, which greatly simplifies image acquisition, reduces the demand on microscope hardware, and facilitates tracking higher densities of microscopic particles while maintaining similar levels of precision. We demonstrate utility of this method in magnetic tweezer experiments, opening their use to multiplexed single-molecule force spectroscopy assays, which were previously limited by particle crowding and fast dissociation times. We propose that our technique will also be useful in other applications that involve the tracking of microscopic objects in three dimensions, such as studies of microorganism motility and 3D flow characterization of microfluidic devices.

MHC class II cell-autonomously regulates self-renewal and differentiation of normal and malignant B cells.

Best known for presenting antigenic peptides to CD4+ T cells, major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) also transmits or may modify intracellular signals. Here, we show that MHC II cell-autonomously regulates the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in B-cell precursors, as well as in malignant B cells. Initiation of MHC II expression early during bone marrow B-cell development limited the occupancy of cycling compartments by promoting differentiation, thus regulating the numerical output of B cells. MHC II deficiency preserved stem cell characteristics in developing pro-B cells in vivo, and ectopic MHC II expression accelerated hematopoietic stem cell differentiation in vitro. Moreover, MHC II expression restrained growth of murine B-cell leukemia cell lines in vitro and in vivo, independently of CD4+ T-cell surveillance. Our results highlight an important cell-intrinsic contribution of MHC II expression to establishing the differentiated B-cell phenotype.

Intrinsic properties of immunoglobulin IgG1 isotype-switched B cell receptors promote microclustering and the initiation of signaling.

Memory B cells express high-affinity, immunoglobulin GB cell receptors (IgG BCRs) that enhance B cell responses, giving rise to the rapid production of high-affinity, IgG antibodies. Despite the central role of IgG BCRs in memory responses, the mechanisms by which the IgG BCRs function to enhance B cell responses are not fully understood. Using high-resolution live-cell imaging, we showed that IgG1 BCRs dramatically enhanced the earliest BCR-intrinsic events that followed within seconds of B cells' encounter with membrane bound antigen, including BCR oligomerization and BCR microcluster growth, leading to Syk kinase recruitment and calcium responses. The enhancement of these early events was dependent on a membrane proximal region of the IgG1 cytoplasmic tail not previously appreciated to play a role in IgG1 BCR signaling. Thus, intrinsic properties of the IgG1 BCR enhance early antigen-driven events that ultimately translate into heightened signaling.

The constant region of the membrane immunoglobulin mediates B cell-receptor clustering and signaling in response to membrane antigens.

B cells are activated in vivo after the B cell receptors (BCRs) bind to antigens captured on the surfaces of antigen-presenting cells. Antigen binding results in BCR microclustering and signaling; however, the molecular nature of the signaling-active BCR clusters is not well understood. Using single-molecule imaging techniques, we provide evidence that within microclusters, the binding of monovalent membrane antigens results in the assembly of immobile signaling-active BCR oligomers. The oligomerization depends on interactions between the membrane-proximal Cmicro4 domains of the membrane immunoglobulin that are both necessary and sufficient for assembly. Antigen-bound BCRs that lacked the Cmicro4 domain failed to cluster and signal, and conversely, Cmicro4 domains alone clustered spontaneously and activated B cells. These results support a unique mechanism for the initiation of BCR signaling in which antigen binding induces a conformational change in the Fc portion of the BCR, revealing an interface that promotes BCR clustering.

Molecular Mechanisms of B Cell Antigen Gathering and Endocytosis.

Generation of high-affinity, protective antibodies requires B cell receptor (BCR) signaling, as well as antigen internalization and presentation to helper T cells. B cell antigen internalization is initiated by antigen capture, either from solution or from immune synapses formed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells, and proceeds via clathrin-dependent endocytosis and intracellular routing to late endosomes. Although the components of this pathway are still being discovered, it has become clear that antigen internalization is actively regulated by BCR signaling at multiple steps and, vice versa, that localization of the BCR along the endocytic pathway modulates signaling. Accordingly, defects in BCR internalization or trafficking contribute to enhanced B cell activation in models of autoimmune diseases and in B cell lymphomas. In this review, we discuss how BCR signaling complexes regulate each of the steps of this endocytic process and why defects along this pathway manifest as hyperactive B cell responses in vivo.

Systems-wide analysis of BCR signalosomes and downstream phosphorylation and ubiquitylation.

B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is essential for the development and function of B cells; however, the spectrum of proteins involved in BCR signaling is not fully known. Here we used quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to monitor the dynamics of BCR signaling complexes (signalosomes) and to investigate the dynamics of downstream phosphorylation and ubiquitylation signaling. We identify most of the previously known components of BCR signaling, as well as many proteins that have not yet been implicated in this system. BCR activation leads to rapid tyrosine phosphorylation and ubiquitylation of the receptor-proximal signaling components, many of which are co-regulated by both the modifications. We illustrate the power of multilayered proteomic analyses for discovering novel BCR signaling components by demonstrating that BCR-induced phosphorylation of RAB7A at S72 prevents its association with effector proteins and with endo-lysosomal compartments. In addition, we show that BCL10 is modified by LUBAC-mediated linear ubiquitylation, and demonstrate an important function of LUBAC in BCR-induced NF-κB signaling. Our results offer a global and integrated view of BCR signaling, and the provided datasets can serve as a valuable resource for further understanding BCR signaling networks.

Chronic active B-cell-receptor signalling in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

A role for B-cell-receptor (BCR) signalling in lymphomagenesis has been inferred by studying immunoglobulin genes in human lymphomas and by engineering mouse models, but genetic and functional evidence for its oncogenic role in human lymphomas is needed. Here we describe a form of 'chronic active' BCR signalling that is required for cell survival in the activated B-cell-like (ABC) subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The signalling adaptor CARD11 is required for constitutive NF-kappaB pathway activity and survival in ABC DLBCL. Roughly 10% of ABC DLBCLs have mutant CARD11 isoforms that activate NF-kappaB, but the mechanism that engages wild-type CARD11 in other ABC DLBCLs was unknown. An RNA interference genetic screen revealed that a BCR signalling component, Bruton's tyrosine kinase, is essential for the survival of ABC DLBCLs with wild-type CARD11. In addition, knockdown of proximal BCR subunits (IgM, Ig-kappa, CD79A and CD79B) killed ABC DLBCLs with wild-type CARD11 but not other lymphomas. The BCRs in these ABC DLBCLs formed prominent clusters in the plasma membrane with low diffusion, similarly to BCRs in antigen-stimulated normal B cells. Somatic mutations affecting the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) signalling modules of CD79B and CD79A were detected frequently in ABC DLBCL biopsy samples but rarely in other DLBCLs and never in Burkitt's lymphoma or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. In 18% of ABC DLBCLs, one functionally critical residue of CD79B, the first ITAM tyrosine, was mutated. These mutations increased surface BCR expression and attenuated Lyn kinase, a feedback inhibitor of BCR signalling. These findings establish chronic active BCR signalling as a new pathogenetic mechanism in ABC DLBCL, suggesting several therapeutic strategies.

Regulation of BCR-mediated Ca2+ mobilization by MIZ1-TMBIM4 safeguards IgG1+ GC B cell-positive selection.

The transition from immunoglobulin M (IgM) to affinity-matured IgG antibodies is vital for effective humoral immunity. This is facilitated by germinal centers (GCs) through affinity maturation and preferential maintenance of IgG+ B cells over IgM+ B cells. However, it is not known whether the positive selection of the different Ig isotypes within GCs is dependent on specific transcriptional mechanisms. Here, we explored IgG1+ GC B cell transcription factor dependency using a CRISPR-Cas9 screen and conditional mouse genetics. We found that MIZ1 was specifically required for IgG1+ GC B cell survival during positive selection, whereas IgM+ GC B cells were largely independent. Mechanistically, MIZ1 induced TMBIM4, an ancestral anti-apoptotic protein that regulated inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R)-mediated calcium (Ca2+) mobilization downstream of B cell receptor (BCR) signaling in IgG1+ B cells. The MIZ1-TMBIM4 axis prevented mitochondrial dysfunction-induced IgG1+ GC cell death caused by excessive Ca2+ accumulation. This study uncovers a unique Ig isotype-specific dependency on a hitherto unidentified mechanism in GC-positive selection.

The molecular assembly and organization of signaling active B-cell receptor oligomers.

In B cells, antigen drives the formation of B-cell receptor (BCR) clusters that initiate the formation of signaling complexes associated with the cytoplasmic domains of the BCRs. These signaling active complexes contain a number of protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases and adapter and scaffolding proteins that together function to trigger downstream signaling cascades leading to the activation of a variety of genes associated with B-cell activation. Although we are learning a considerable amount about the molecular details of the assembly of immune receptor signaling complexes, as reviewed in this volume, a fundamental question remains, namely how does antigen binding outside the cell initiate the assembly of signaling complexes inside the cell. For B cells, we do not yet understand how the information that the ectodomain of the BCR has bound to an antigen is translated across the membrane to induce changes in the cytoplasmic domains that trigger the assembly of signaling complexes. Here we describe what is known about the initiation of the antigen-driven BCR signal transduction in the newly emerging context of B-cell recognition of antigens presented by antigen-presenting cells in lymphoid tissues. We also discuss a recently proposed model for the initiation of BCR signaling termed the 'conformation-induced oligomerization model' and address the implications of this model for the mechanisms by which BCR signaling may be modulated by adapters and coreceptors.

Structural basis for Fc receptor recognition of immunoglobulin M.

Immunoglobulin Fc receptors are cell surface transmembrane proteins that bind to the Fc constant region of antibodies and play critical roles in regulating immune responses by activation of immune cells, clearance of immune complexes and regulation of antibody production. FcµR is the immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody isotype-specific Fc receptor involved in the survival and activation of B cells. Here we reveal eight binding sites for the human FcµR immunoglobulin domain on the IgM pentamer by cryogenic electron microscopy. One of the sites overlaps with the binding site for the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR), but a different mode of FcµR binding explains its antibody isotype specificity. Variation in FcµR binding sites and their occupancy reflects the asymmetry of the IgM pentameric core and the versatility of FcµR binding. The complex explains engagement with polymeric serum IgM and the monomeric IgM B-cell receptor (BCR).

Antigen-induced oligomerization of the B cell receptor is an early target of Fc gamma RIIB inhibition.

The FcgammaRIIB is a potent inhibitory coreceptor that blocks BCR signaling in response to immune complexes and, as such, plays a decisive role in regulating Ab responses. The recent application of high-resolution live cell imaging to B cell studies is providing new molecular details of the earliest events in the initiation BCR signaling that follow within seconds of Ag binding. In this study, we report that when colligated to the BCR through immune complexes, the FcgammaRIIB colocalizes with the BCR in microscopic clusters and blocks the earliest events that initiate BCR signaling, including the oligomerization of the BCR within these clusters, the active recruitment of BCRs to these clusters, and the resulting spreading and contraction response. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer analyses indicate that blocking these early events may not require molecular proximity of the cytoplasmic domains of the BCR and FcgammaRIIB, but relies on the rapid and sustained association of FcgammaRIIB with raft lipids in the membrane. These results may provide novel early targets for therapies aimed at regulating the FcgammaRIIB to control Ab responses in autoimmune disease.

Viewing the antigen-induced initiation of B-cell activation in living cells.

The binding of antigen to the B-cell receptor (BCR) induces BCR clustering and signaling cascades that lead to the activation of a variety of genes associated with B-cell activation. Over the last several years, our understanding of the molecular details of the BCR signaling pathways have been considerably advanced; what remains only poorly understood are the molecular events that initiate BCR clustering and how clustering leads to activation. Here, we review our progress using live cell imaging technologies to view the earliest events that follow the B cell's binding of antigen. We provide a model for BCR clustering and B-cell activation that involves an intrinsic tendency of the BCR to cluster and does not require direct crosslinking of the BCR by multivalent antigens. We suggest that local membrane topology and lipid composition play key roles in BCR clustering and initiation of signaling. We believe that our model for B-cell activation, in which receptor interactions with monovalent antigens on membrane surfaces lead to receptor clustering, may be highly relevant to the mechanisms by which other immune receptors cluster including the T-cell receptor in response to monovalent peptide-major histocompatibility complex complexes.

Unveiling the B cell receptor structure.

Molecular structures provide a road map for understanding and controlling B cell receptor activation.