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J. Exp. Med., Volume 187, Number 7, April 6, 1998 1009-1018

B Lymphocytes Induce the Formation of Follicular Dendritic Cell Clusters in a Lymphotoxin alpha -dependent Fashion

By Yang-Xin Fu,* Guangming Huang,§ Yang Wang,Dagger and David D. ChaplinDagger §

From the * Department of Laboratory Medicine/Pathology, the Dagger  Department of Internal Medicine, and the § Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110

Lymphotoxin (LT)alpha is expressed by activated T cells, especially CD4+ T helper type 1 cells, and by activated B and natural killer cells, but the functions of this molecule in vivo are incompletely defined. We have previously shown that follicular dendritic cell (FDC) clusters and germinal centers (GCs) are absent from the peripheral lymphoid tissues of LTalpha -deficient (LTalpha -/-) mice. LTalpha -/- mice produce high levels of antigen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)M, but very low levels of IgG after immunization with sheep red blood cells. We show here that LTalpha -expressing B cells are essential for the recovery of primary, secondary, and memory humoral immune responses in LTalpha -/- mice. It is not necessary for T cells to express LTalpha to support these immune functions. Importantly, LTalpha -expressing B cells alone are essential and sufficient for the formation of FDC clusters. Once these clusters are formed by LTalpha -expressing B cells, then LTalpha -deficient T cells can interact with B cells to generate GCs and productive class-switched antibody responses. Thus, B cells themselves provide an essential signal that induces and maintains the lymphoid microenvironment essential for GC formation and class-switched Ig responses.


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