H. Martinezvaldez et al., HUMAN GERMINAL CENTER B-CELLS EXPRESS THE APOPTOSIS-INDUCING GENES FAS, C-MYC, P-53, AND BAX BUT NOT THE SURVIVAL GENE BCL-2, The Journal of experimental medicine, 183(3), 1996, pp. 971-977
During T cell-dependent antibody responses, B cells within germinal ce
nters (GC) alter the affinity of their antigen receptor by introducing
somatic mutations into variable region of immunoglobulin (IgV) genes.
During this process, GC B cells are destined to die unless positively
selected by antigens and CD40-ligand. To understand survival/death co
ntrol of germinal center B cell, the expression of four apoptosis-indu
cing genes, Fas, c-myc, Bax, and p(53), together with the survival gen
e bcl-2, has been analyzed herein among purified tonsillar naive, GC,
and memory B cells. IgD(+)CD38(-) naive B cells were separated into CD
23(-) (mature B cell [Bm) 1) subset and CD23(+) (Bm2), IgD(-)CD38(+) G
C B cells were separated into subsets of CD77(+) centroblasts (Bm3) an
d CD77(-) centrocytes (Bm4), whereas IgD(-)CD38(-) cells represented t
he Bm5 memory B cell subset. Sequence analysis of IgV region genes ind
icated that somatic hypermutation was triggered in the Bm3 centroblast
subset. Here we show that bcl-2 is only detectable with naive (Bm1 an
d 2) and memory B cell (Bm5) subsets, whereas all four apoptosis-induc
ing genes were most significantly expressed within GC B cells. Fas was
equally expressed in Bm3 centroblasts and Bm4 centrocytes, whereas Ba
x was most significantly expressed in Bm4 centrocytes. c-myc, a positi
ve regulator of cell cycle, was most significantly expressed in prolif
erating Bm3 centroblasts, whereas P-53, a negative regulator of cell c
ycle, was most significantly expressed in nonproliferating Bm4 centroc
ytes. The present results indicate that the survival/death of GC B cel
ls are regulated by the up- and downregulation of multiple genes, amon
g which the expression of c-myc and P-53 in the absence of bcl-2 may p
rime the proliferating Bm3 centroblasts and nonproliferating Bm4 centr
ocytes to apoptosis.