Diversification of memory B cells drives the continuous adaptation of secretory antibodies to gut microbiota

• DOI: 10.1038/ni.3213
• Publication Date: 2015-07-01T09:22:13Z
• Authors: Cornelia Lindner; Irene Thomsen; Benjamin Wahl; Milas Ugur; Maya K Sethi; Michaela Friedric...; Anna Smoczek; Stephan Ott; Ulrich Baumann; Sebastian Suerbaum; Stefan Schreiber; André Bleich; Valérie Gaboriau-...; Nadine Cerf-Bensu...; Helena Hazanov; Ramit Mehr; Preben Boysen; Philip Rosenstiel; Oliver Pabst
• Keywords: Immunoglobulin A; Memory B cell; Secretory IgA

Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) shields the gut epithelium from luminal antigens and contributes to host-microbe symbiosis. However, how antibody responses are regulated to achieve sustained host-microbe interactions is unknown. We found that mice and humans exhibited longitudinal persistence of clonally related B cells in the IgA repertoire despite major changes in the microbiota during antibiotic treatment or infection. Memory B cells recirculated between inductive compartments and were clonally related to plasma cells in gut and mammary glands. Our findings suggest that continuous diversification of memory B cells constitutes a central process for establishing symbiotic host-microbe interactions and offer an explanation of how maternal antibodies are optimized throughout life to protect the newborn.