B cell response is required for granuloma formation in the early infection of Schistosoma japonicum

PLoS One. 2008 Mar 5;3(3):e1724. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001724.

Abstract

Schistosoma egg-induced liver granuloma is a dynamic inflammatory reaction that results from complex immune responses to the infection. However, the role of B cells in inflammatory granuloma development is not yet fully understood. We report here that B cell function is required for S. japonicum egg-induced granuloma pathology in early infection. Both OBF-1 knockout mice and microMT mice develop severely reduced hepatic granulomas at five weeks post-infection compared to their wild-type counterparts. In contrast, they display no significant difference in granuloma pathology at eight weeks post-infection. Moreover, we find that B cells and antibodies accumulate in the granulomas of wild-type mice early in the infection, indicating a contribution of the B cell response to the granulomatous inflammation. Furthermore, defects in B cell function markedly reduce liver egg burden. These results suggest an important role for B cells in early granuloma pathology. Surprisingly, we found that the S. japonicum infection destroys the structure of the lymphoid follicles. This disruptive effect is correlated with a severely impaired T cell-dependent antibody response upon challenge with ovalbumin. Thus, these findings reveal a novel aspect of the interaction between Schistosoma and the host immune system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Granuloma / immunology*
  • Granuloma / parasitology
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Liver Diseases, Parasitic / immunology*
  • Liver Diseases, Parasitic / parasitology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Parasite Egg Count
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Schistosoma japonicum
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / immunology*
  • Schistosomiasis japonica / parasitology
  • Trans-Activators / physiology

Substances

  • Pou2af1 protein, mouse
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Trans-Activators