Identification of Liver Epithelial Cell-derived Ig Expression in μ chain-deficient mice

Sci Rep. 2016 Mar 29:6:23669. doi: 10.1038/srep23669.

Abstract

Growing evidence indicates that B cells are not the only source of immunoglobulin (Ig). To investigate this discovery further, we used μMT mice, which have a disruption of the first transmembrane exon of the μ heavy chain and do not express the membrane form of IgM. These mice lack mature B cells and thus serve as a good model to explore Ig expression by liver epithelial cells. We found that Ig heavy chains (μ, δ, γ and α) and light chains (κ and λ) were expressed in sorted liver epithelial cells of μMT mice. Surprisingly, each heavy chain class showed its respective variable region sequence characteristics in their variable region, instead of sharing the same VDJ usage, which suggests that class switching does not occur in liver epithelial cells. Moreover, the γ and α chains, but not the μ and δ chains, showed mutations in the variable region, thus indicating that different classes of Ig have different activities. Our findings support the concept that non-B cells, liver epithelial cells here, can produce different classes of Ig.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Blotting, Northern
  • Blotting, Western
  • Epithelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression / genetics
  • Gene Expression / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin G / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin G / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / blood
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / genetics*
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin Isotypes / blood
  • Immunoglobulin Isotypes / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin Isotypes / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / blood
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / genetics*
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / blood
  • Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / genetics*
  • Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / metabolism
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Liver / cytology*
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains
  • Immunoglobulin Isotypes
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains
  • Immunoglobulin mu-Chains