Transcription Factor ABF-1 Suppresses Plasma Cell Differentiation but Facilitates Memory B Cell Formation
Resource
J. Immunol., 193(5), 2207-2217
Journal
The Journal of Immunology
Pages
2207-2217
Date Issued
2014
Date
2014
Author(s)
Chiu, Yi-Kai
Lin, I-Ying
Su, Shin-Tang
Wang, Kuan-Hsiung
Yang, Shii-Yi
Tsai, Dong-Yan
Hsieh, Yi-Ting
Lin, Kuo-I
Abstract
Ag-primed B cells that result from an immune response can form either memory B cells or Ab-secreting plasma cells; however, the molecular machinery that controls this cellular fate is poorly understood. In this study, we show that activated B cell factor-1 (ABF-1), which encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional repressor, participates in this regulation. ABF-1 was prevalently expressed in purified memory B cells and induced by T follicular helper cell mediated signals. ABF-1 expression declined by the direct repression of B lymphocyte induced maturation protein-1 during differentiation. Ectopic expression of ABF-1 reduced the formation of Ab-secreting cells in an in vitro differentiation system of human memory B cells. Accordingly, knockdown of ABF-1 potentiates the formation of Ab-secreting cells. A transgenic mouse that expresses inducible ABF-1 in a B cell-specific manner was generated to demonstrate that the formation of germinal center and memory B cells was augmented by induced ABF-1 in an immune response, whereas the Ag-specific plasma cell response was dampened. This effect was associated with the ability of ABF-1 to limit cell proliferation. Together, our results demonstrate that ABF-1 facilitates formation of memory B cells but prevents plasma cell differentiation.