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M C Carroll

Publications and source records attributed to M C Carroll.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Regulation of B lymphocyte responses to foreign and self-antigens by the CD19/CD21 complex.

The membrane protein complex CD19/CD21 couples the innate immune recognition of microbial antigens by the complement system to the activation of B cells. CD21 binds the C3d fragment of activated C3 that becomes covalently attached to targets of complement activation, and CD19 co-stimulates signaling through the antigen receptor, membrane immunoglobulin. CD21 is also expressed by follicular dendritic cells and mediates the long-term retention of antigen that is required for the maintenance of memory B cells. Understanding of the biology of this receptor complex has been enriched by analyses of genetically modified mice; these analyses have uncovered roles not only in positive responses to foreign antigens, but also in the development of tolerance to self-antigens. Studies of signal transduction have begun to determine the basis for the coreceptor activities of CD19. The integration of innate and adaptive immune recognition at this molecular site on the B cell guides the appropriate selection of antigen by adaptive immunity and emphasizes the importance of this coreceptor complex.

Animals↗

Humoral response to herpes simplex virus is complement-dependent.

The complement system represents a cascade of serum proteins, which provide a major effector function in innate immunity. Recent studies have revealed that complement links innate and adaptive immunity via complement receptors CD21/CD35 in that it enhances the B cell memory response to noninfectious protein antigens introduced i.v. To examine the importance of complement for immune responses to virus infection in a peripheral tissue, we compared the B cell memory response of mice deficient in complement C3, C4, or CD21/CD35 with wild-type controls. We found that the deficient mice failed to generate a normal memory response, which is characterized by a reduction in IgG antibody and germinal centers. Thus, complement is important not only in the effector function of innate immunity but also in the stimulation of memory B cell responses to viral-infected cell antigens in both blood and peripheral tissues.

Animals↗

Protective T cell-independent antiviral antibody responses are dependent on complement.

Complement is part of the innate immune system and one of the first lines of host defense against infections. Its importance was evaluated in this study in virus infections in mice deficient either in soluble complement factors (C3(-/-), C4(-/-)) or in the complement signaling complex (complement receptor [CR]2(-/-), CD19(-/-)). The induction of the initial T cell-independent neutralizing immunoglobulin (Ig)M antibody response to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), poliomyelitis virus, and recombinant vaccinia virus depended on efficient antigen trapping by CR3 and -4-expressing macrophages of the splenic marginal zone. Neutralizing IgM and IgG antibody responses were largely independent of CR2-mediated stimulation of B cells when mice were infected with live virus. In contrast, immunizations with nonreplicating antigens revealed an important role of B cell stimulation via CR2 in the switch to IgG. The complement cascade was activated after infection with VSV via the classical pathway, and active complement cleavage products augmented the effector function of neutralizing IgM and IgG antibodies to VSV by a factor of 10-100. Absence of the early neutralizing antibody responses, together with the reduced efficiency of neutralizing IgM in C3(-/-) mice, led to a drastically enhanced susceptibility to disease after infection with VSV.

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Beta-glucan, a "specific" biologic response modifier that uses antibodies to target tumors for cytotoxic recognition by leukocyte complement receptor type 3 (CD11b/CD18).

beta-Glucans were identified 36 years ago as a biologic response modifier that stimulated tumor rejection. In vitro studies have shown that beta-glucans bind to a lectin domain within complement receptor type 3 (CR3; known also as Mac-1, CD11b/CD18, or alphaMbeta2-integrin, that functions as an adhesion molecule and a receptor for factor I-cleaved C3b, i.e., iC3b) resulting in the priming of this iC3b receptor for cytotoxicity of iC3b-opsonized target cells. This investigation explored mechanisms of tumor therapy with soluble beta-glucan in mice. Normal mouse sera were shown to contain low levels of Abs reactive with syngeneic or allogeneic tumor lines that activated complement, depositing C3 onto tumors. Implanted tumors became coated with IgM, IgG, and C3, and the absent C3 deposition on tumors in SCID mice was reconstituted with IgM or IgG isolated from normal sera. Therapy of mice with glucan- or mannan-rich soluble polysaccharides exhibiting high affinity for CR3 caused a 57-90% reduction in tumor weight. In young mice with lower levels of tumor-reactive Abs, the effectiveness of beta-glucan was enhanced by administration of a tumor-specific mAb, and in SCID mice, an absent response to beta-glucan was reconstituted with normal IgM or IgG. The requirement for C3 on tumors and CR3 on leukocytes was highlighted by therapy failures in C3- or CR3-deficient mice. Thus, the tumoricidal function of CR3-binding polysaccharides such as beta-glucan in vivo is defined by natural and elicited Abs that direct iC3b deposition onto neoplastic cells, making them targets for circulating leukocytes bearing polysaccharide-primed CR3. Therapy fails when tumors lack iC3b, but can be restored by tumor-specific Abs that deposit iC3b onto the tumors.

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Innate immunity.

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Animals↗

Intestinal reperfusion injury is mediated by IgM and complement.

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury is dependent on complement. This study examines the role of the alternative and classic pathways of complement and IgM in a murine model of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion. Wild-type animals, mice deficient in complement factor 4 (C4), C3, or Ig, or wild-type mice treated with soluble complement receptor 1 were subjected to 40 min of jejunal ischemia and 3 h of reperfusion. Compared with wild types, knockout and treated mice had significantly reduced intestinal injury, indicated by lowered permeability to radiolabeled albumin. When animals deficient in Ig were reconstituted with IgM, the degree of injury was restored to wild-type levels. Immunohistological staining of intestine for C3 and IgM showed colocalization in the mucosa of wild-type controls and minimal staining for both in the intestine of Ig-deficient and C4-deficient mice. We conclude that intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury is dependent on the classic complement pathway and IgM.

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Corneal transplantation in antibody-deficient hosts.

PURPOSE: To examine the role of donor-specific antibodies, with or without complement, in rejection of orthotopic corneal transplants by using mice as recipients in which the genes for the heavy chain of immunoglobulin or the third complement component have been eliminated by homologous recombination. METHODS: BALB/c corneas were transplanted into eyes of B-cell-deficient (n=17) or wild-type control C57BL/6 (n=30) mice and into eyes of complement (C3)-deficient (n=15) or wild-type control 129-C57BL/6 (n=13) mice. After surgery all grafts were evaluated over 8 weeks in a masked manner by biomicroscopy for signs of rejection. RESULTS: The rates of corneal transplant rejection were similar among B-cell-deficient and C3-deficient mice compared with rejection rates in their respective wild-type control subjects. This similarity applied to the time course of rejection and to cumulative survival rates. CONCLUSIONS: Neither donor-specific antibody nor the third component of complement play essential roles in acute rejection of orthotopic corneal allografts in mice.

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A critical role of natural immunoglobulin M in immediate defense against systemic bacterial infection.

To evaluate the role of natural immunoglobulin (Ig)M in the immediate response against microbial infection, we tested mutant mice that are deficient in secreted (s)IgM in an acute peritonitis model induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). 20% of wild-type mice died within 32 h of CLP, whereas 70% of sIgM-deficient mice died within the same time period. The increased susceptibility was associated with a reduced level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, a decreased neutrophil recruitment and an increased bacterial load in the peritoneum, and elevated levels of endotoxin and proinflammatory cytokines in the circulation. Resistance to CLP by sIgM-deficient mice was restored by reconstitution with polyclonal IgM from normal mouse serum. Reconstitution with a monoclonal IgM specific to phosphatidylcholine, a conserved cell membrane component, has a modest effect but a monoclonal IgM specific to phosphocholine is not protective. These findings demonstrate a critical role of natural IgM in the immediate defense against severe bacterial infection.

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Evidence for an important interaction between a complement-derived CD21 ligand on follicular dendritic cells and CD21 on B cells in the initiation of IgG responses.

The addition of Ags to mononuclear leukocyte cultures typically elicits modest Ab responses, implying that cosignals beyond those provided by T cells and macrophages may be needed. Recently, we reported that Ab responses could be dramatically enhanced (10-1000-fold) by the addition of follicular dendritic cells (FDC), suggesting that FDC may provide an important costimulatory signal. This result prompted a study of molecules involved in FDC-mediated enhancement of Ab responses stimulated by specific Ag with memory T and B cells or nonspecifically by the addition of LPS. In this study, we report evidence supporting the concept that FDC bear a ligand that engages complement receptor II (CR2 or CD21) on B cells and provides a critical cosignal for both Ag-specific and polyclonal responses. A blockade of the CR2 ligand on FDC by the use of soluble CR2 or a blockade of CR2 on B cells by use of CR2 knockout mice (or B cells with CR2 blocked) reduced Ab responses from the microg/ml to the ng/ml range (10-1000-fold reductions). FDC from C3 knockout mice, which cannot generate the CR2-binding fragments (iC3b, C3d, and C3dg), were unable to provide costimulatory activity, suggesting the CR2 ligand on FDC consists of C3 fragments. FDC trap complement-activating Ag-Ab complexes, and it appears that FDC present B cells with both specific Ag to engage B cell receptors and a CR2 ligand to engage B cell-CR2. In short, optimal induction of specific Ab responses appears to require the combination of specific Ag and costimulatory molecules from both T cells and FDC.

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Dependence of germinal center B cells on expression of CD21/CD35 for survival.

Affinity-driven selection of B lymphocytes within germinal centers is critical for the development of high-affinity memory cells and host protection. To investigate the role of the CD21/CD35 coreceptor in B cell competition for follicular retention and survival within the germinal center, either Cr2+ or Cr2null lysozyme-specific transgenic B cells were adoptively transferred into normal mice immunized with duck (DEL) or turkey (TEL) lysozyme, which bind with different affinities. In mice injected with high-affinity turkey lysozyme, Cr2null B cells responded by follicular retention; however, they could not survive within germinal centers. This suggests that CD21 provides a signal independent of antigen that is required for survival of B cells in the germinal center.

Adoptive Transfer↗

Activated complement component 3 (C3) is required for ultraviolet induction of immunosuppression and antigenic tolerance.

Complement component 3 (C3), a critical regulator of innate immunity, may also play a role in the regulation of cognate immunity, such as contact sensitivity responses. Because ultraviolet (UV) radiation also activates C3 in the skin, we determined whether the immunosuppressed state that results when a contact sensitizer is applied through UVB-exposed skin requires the presence and activation of C3. This question was addressed through the use of C3-deficient mice, blockade of C3 cleavage to C3b, and accelerated degradation of iC3b by soluble complement receptor 1 (sCR1). Both C3-modulated systems totally reversed the failure to induce a contact sensitivity response to dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) upon primary sensitization at the UV-exposed site, as well as immunologic tolerance to a second DNFB immunization through normal skin. Treatment with sCR1 reduced the infiltration of CD11b+ leukocytes into the epidermis and dermis of UV-irradiated skin but did not reverse the UV-induced depletion of epidermal class II MHC+CD11blo Langerhans cells. These data, taken together with previous results showing abrogation of locally induced UV immunosuppression by in vivo anti-CD11b treatment, suggest a novel mechanism by which ligation of the leukocyte beta2 integrin, CD11b, by iC3b molecules formed from C3 activation in UV-exposed skin, modifies cutaneous CD11b+ cells such that skin antigen-presenting cells are unable to sensitize in a primary immune response, but actively induce antigenic tolerance.

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Local synthesis of C3 within the splenic lymphoid compartment can reconstitute the impaired immune response in C3-deficient mice.

Mice bearing a disrupted C3 locus (C3-/-) have an impaired Ab response to T-dependent Ags (bacteriophage phiX 174 and nuclear protein-keyhole limpet hemocyanin) characterized by a reduction in number and size of germinal centers and impaired retention of Ag by follicular dendritic cells. To test the importance of C3 synthesized locally within the lymphoid compartment during an immune response to T-dependent Ag, we reconstituted C3-/- mice with wild-type bone marrow of MHC-identical littermates. Engraftment not only restored local C3 synthesis in the spleen, but also rescued the impaired humoral response. The major source of C3 mRNA was MOMA-2+ macrophages localized within the white pulp areas of the spleen. Interestingly, C3 expression is apparently regulated as C3 mRNA was not detected in splenic sections of nonimmune mice. Furthermore, local C3 synthesis by donor macrophages reversed the impaired Ag trapping by splenic follicular dendritic cells in C3-deficient mice.

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CD21/CD35 in B cell activation.

The stimulus induced via the B cell receptor is a major factor in determination of the fate of naive B cells resulting in activation, elimination or anergy. The strength of B cell signal transduction is dependent not only on the affinity of antigen binding, but by positive signals via the co-receptor CD21/CD19/Tapa-1. Absence of CD21 expression by B cells results in an impaired humoral response to T-dependent antigens which is characterized by a reduction in B cell follicular retention and germinal center survival. The ligand for CD21 is complement C3d which becomes attached to antigen on activation of the complement system. Thus, the complement system of innate immunity is an important regulator of B lymphocytes.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Linkages of innate and adaptive immunity.

The innate immune system is activated by pathogens or environmental antigens following their binding by recognition molecules such as mannan-binding lectin, C-reactive protein and the mannose receptor. Natural antibody, which represents a collection of germline-encoded antigen recognition molecules, is also important in recognition of pathogens and activation of the innate immune system via the classical pathway of complement activation. The major source of natural antibody is CD5+ B-1 cells which differ from conventional B cells (B-2 cells) firstly because they are thought to require contact with antigen for expansion and maintenance and secondly because in general they do not appear to undergo somatic hypermutation. We review results which support an important role for complement in maintenance of B-1 cells, the effect being mediated by B cell expression of complement receptors CD21 and CD35. We propose that complement and natural antibody are interdependent: clonal selection and expansion of CD5+ B-1 cells is dependent on contact with antigen coated by the complement component C3d, while efficient recognition of pathogens and activation of complement is dependent in a large part on natural antibody. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that mice deficient in CD21 and CD35 have a reduced number of CD5+ B-1 cells and are missing specificities for certain antigens commonly found in wild-type mice, such as lipopolysaccharide, Escherichia coli surface antigens and neoepitopes expressed on hypoxic intestinal endothelium.

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A critical role for complement in maintenance of self-tolerance.

The role of complement in the maintenance of self-tolerance has been examined in two models: an immunoglobulin transgenic model of peripheral tolerance and a lupus-like murine model of CD95 (Fas) deficiency. We find that self-reactive B lymphocytes deficient in complement receptors CD21/CD35 or transferred into mice deficient in the complement protein C4 are not anergized by soluble self-antigen. In the second model, deficiency in CD21/CD35 or C4 combined with CD95 deficiency results in high titers of anti-nuclear antibodies leading to severe lupus-like disease. These findings suggest a novel role for the complement system in B cell tolerance and provide insight into the genetic association of complement deficiency with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus.

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Immune complex glomerulonephritis in C4- and C3-deficient mice.

In this study, we examined the roles of C4 and C3 in immune complex glomerulonephritis by actively immunizing C4-deficient (C4 -/-), C3 deficient (C3 -/-) and wild-type mice with apoferritin. Wild-type animals with an intact complement system produced anti-apoferritin IgG and IgM antibodies, and developed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis characterized by hypercellularity, matrix expansion, deposition of IgG, IgM, IgA and C3, and the presence of electron dense deposits. In the majority of animals, the peripheral capillaries also contained IgG, C3 and subendothelial and subepithelial electron dense deposits. In contrast to wild-type animals, all apoferritin-immunized C4 -/- and C3 -/- mice had serum cryoprecipitates containing polyclonal IgM and the variable presence of polyclonal IgG. These animals also developed immune complex glomerulonephritis, but their disease manifestations were distinctly different from that of their wild-type littermates. In apoferritin-immunized C4 -/- and C3 -/- mice, IgG was either absent or present in reduced quantities in glomeruli, yet IgM and IgA were present in greater intensity in glomeruli. Capillary wall IgG deposits were absent in all C4 -/- and C3 -/- animals. C4 -/- animals also had significant glomerular C3 deposition, hypercellularity and neutrophil infiltration, which were not present in C3 -/- animals. These results illustrate the complex interplay between the effects of complement to process immune complexes and to lead to inflammation and tissue injury.

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