BCMA is essential for the survival of long-lived bone marrow plasma cells.

Long-lived humoral immunity is manifested by the ability of bone marrow plasma cells (PCs) to survive for extended periods of time. Recent studies have underscored the importance of BLyS and APRIL as factors that can support the survival of B lineage lymphocytes. We show that BLyS can sustain PC survival in vitro, and this survival can be further enhanced by interleukin 6. Selective up-regulation of Mcl-1 in PCs by BLyS suggests that this alpha-apoptotic gene product may play an important role in PC survival. Blockade of BLyS, via transmembrane activator and cyclophilin ligand interactor-immunoglobulin treatment, inhibited PC survival in vitro and in vivo. Heightened expression of B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), and lowered expression of transmembrane activator and cyclophilin ligand interactor and BAFF receptor in PCs relative to resting B cells suggests a vital role of BCMA in PC survival. Affirmation of the importance of BCMA in PC survival was provided by studies in BCMA-/- mice in which the survival of long-lived bone marrow PCs was impaired compared with wild-type controls. These findings offer new insights into the molecular basis for the long-term survival of PCs.

TACI is required for efficient plasma cell differentiation in response to T-independent type 2 antigens.

The control of systemic infection by encapsulated microorganisms requires T-independent type II (TI-2) Ab responses to bacterial polysaccharides. To understand how such responses evolve, we explored the function of transmembrane activator calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI), a member of the TNFR family, required for TI-2 Ab production. Quasimonoclonal (QM) mice produce robust TI-2 responses to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetate (NP)-Ficoll, owing to the high precursor frequency of NP-specific B cells in the marginal zone of the spleen. QM mice that lack TACI produce decreased numbers of IgM (2-fold) and IgG (1.6-fold) NP-specific ASCs, compared with TACI-positive QM mice in response to immunization with NP-Ficoll. Our studies indicate that TACI acts at a remote time from activation because TACI is not necessary for activation and proliferation of B cells both in vitro and in vivo. Instead, TACI-deficient QM B cells remained in the cell cycle longer than TACI-proficient QM cells and had impaired plasma cell differentiation in response to NP-Ficoll. We conclude that TACI has dual B cell-autonomous functions, inhibiting prolonged B cell proliferation and stimulating plasma cell differentiation, thus resolving the longstanding paradox that TACI may have both B cell-inhibitory and -stimulatory functions. By promoting plasma cell differentiation earlier during clonal expansion, TACI may decrease the chances of autoantibody production by somatic hypermutation of Ig genes in response to T-independent Ags.

TACI-BLyS signaling via B-cell-dendritic cell cooperation is required for naive CD8+ T-cell priming in vivo.

We demonstrated that B-cell-dendritic cell (DC) interactions via transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand (CAML) interactor (TACI) and B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) provide an early signal critical to generate adequate numbers of mature antigen presenting cells (APCs) to prime naive CD8(+) T cells (CTLs) in vivo. Evidence that B cells are required for efficient CTL generation in mice and that reconstitution with wild-type but not TACI-knockout B cells restored normal CTL responses support our conclusion. Moreover, low doses of a TACI fusion protein (TACI-Fc) that express the extracellular domain of TACI (amino acid [aa] 1-126) restored CTL priming in B-cell-deficient mice in vivo and induced DC maturation in vitro. In fact, following interactions with B cells, splenic DCs rapidly express the CD86 costimulatory molecule, to an extent comparable to the exposure to antigenic stimuli. BLyS(high) peptide-pulsed bone marrow-derived DCs, used as vaccines in vivo, cannot generate CTLs in B-cell-deficient and TACI-deficient mice, strongly supporting a need for B-cell-DC cooperation through TACI-BLyS during CTL first encounter with antigens in vivo.