The Journal of Experimental Medicine
VeriKine-HS Human IFN-Beta
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
Published 7 April 2003. doi:10.1084/jem.20022020
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF, 366K)
Right arrow PPT slides of all figures
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JEM
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kruetzmann, S.
Right arrow Articles by Carsetti, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kruetzmann, S.
Right arrow Articles by Carsetti, R.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Substance via MeSH
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?
© Rockefeller University Press, 0022-1007/2003/4/939 $5.00
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Volume 197, Number 7, 939-945

Brief Definitive Report

Human Immunoglobulin M Memory B Cells Controlling Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections Are Generated in the Spleen

Stephanie Kruetzmann1,5, M. Manuela Rosado2, Holger Weber1, Ulrich Germing3, Olivier Tournilhac4, Hans-Hartmut Peter5, Reinhard Berner6, Anke Peters6, Thomas Boehm1, Alessandro Plebani7, Isabella Quinti8 and Rita Carsetti2

1 Max-Planck Institute for Immunology, Department of Developmental Immunology, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany
2 Research Center Ospedale Bambino Gesù, 00165 Roma, Italy
3 Department of Hematology, Heinrich Heine University, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
4 Fédération des Maladies Infectieuses, CHU Hotel Dieu, 63003 Clermont-Ferrand, France
5 Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
6 University Children's Hospital, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
7 Division of Pediatrics and Institute of Molecular Medicine "Angelo Nocivelli, " University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
8 Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza," 00165 Roma, Italy

Address correspondence to Rita Carsetti, Research Center Ospedale Bambino Gesù, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, 00165 Roma, Italy. Phone: 39-06-72596823; Fax: 39-06-72596822; E-mail: Rita.Carsetti{at}uniroma2.it

Splenectomized and asplenic patients have a high incidence of infections by encapsulated bacteria and do not respond to polysaccharide vaccines. To understand whether the absence of the spleen is associated with a defined B cell defect, we analyzed B cell subsets in the peripheral blood. We found that a population of B cells known as immunoglobulin (Ig)M memory is lacking in patients without spleen. The absence of IgM memory B cells correlates with an impaired immune response to encapsulated bacteria not only in splenectomized patients, but also in individuals with an intact spleen. We show that the physiological and transient predisposition to pneumococcal infections of young children (0–2 yr) is associated with the lack of circulating IgM memory B cells and of serum antipolysaccharide IgM. We also demonstrate that IgM memory B cells are undetectable in a fraction of patients with common variable immunodeficiency, who have recurrent and invasive infections by encapsulated bacteria. IgM memory B cells, therefore, require the spleen for their generation and/or survival and are responsible for the protection against encapsulated bacteria.

Key Words: B cells • asplenia • polysaccharide vaccines • Streptococcus pneumoniae • infants


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search
TABLE OF CONTENTS