AUTHOR=Golinski Marie-Laure , Demeules Mélanie , Derambure Céline , Riou Gaetan , Maho-Vaillant Maud , Boyer Olivier , Joly Pascal , Calbo Sébastien TITLE=CD11c+ B Cells Are Mainly Memory Cells, Precursors of Antibody Secreting Cells in Healthy Donors JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00032 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2020.00032 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

CD11c+ B cells have been reported to be increased in autoimmune diseases, but they are detected in the blood of healthy individuals as well. We aimed to characterize CD11c+ B cells from healthy donors by flow cytometry, microarray analysis, and in vitro functional assays. Here, we report that CD11c+ B cells are a distinct subpopulation of B cells, enriched in the memory subpopulation even if their phenotype is heterogeneous, with overexpression of genes involved in B-cell activation and differentiation as well as in antigen presentation. Upon activation, CD11c+ B cells can differentiate into antibody-secreting cells, and CD11c could be upregulated in CD11c− B cells by B-cell receptor activation. Finally, we show that patients with pemphigus, an autoimmune disease mediated by B cells, have a decreased frequency of CD11c+ B cell after treatment, relative to baseline. Our findings show that CD11c+ B cells are mainly memory B cells prone to differentiate into antibody secreting cells that accumulate with age, independently of gender.