AUTHOR=Muzzio Damian O., Soldati Rocío , Rolle Luise , Zygmunt Marek , Zenclussen Ana C., Jensen Federico 

TITLE=B-1a B Cells Regulate T Cell Differentiation Associated with Pregnancy Disturbances

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2014

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2014.00006

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2014.00006

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=During pregnancy, the maternal immune system faces a double dilemma: tolerate the growing semi-allogeneic fetus and at the same time protect the mother and the progeny against pathogens. This requires a fine and extremely regulated equilibrium between immune activation and tolerance. As professional antigen presenting cells, B cells and in particular B-1a B cells, can activate or tolerize T cells and thus participate in the generation or regulation of immune response.<br/>B-1a B cells were involved in the humoral immune response leading to preeclampsia, one of the main medical complications during pregnancy. Here we demonstrated that B-1a B cells are additionally involved in cellular immune mechanisms associated with pregnancy complications. Using a mouse model of pregnancy disturbances, we showed that B-1a B cells from animals suffering pregnancy disturbances but not from those developing normal pregnancies induce the differentiation of naïve T cells into Th17 and Th1 cells. This differential role of B-1a B cells during pregnancy seems to be associated with the co-stimulatory molecule CD86 as normal pregnant mice showed lower percentages of CD86 expressing B-1a B cells as compared to pregnant mice developing pregnancy disturbances or to non-pregnant animals.<br/>Our data bring to light a new and not explored role of B-1a B cells in the context of pregnancy.<br/>