SUN-016 CHARACTERISTICS OF NAÏVE AND GERMINAL CENTER B CELLS IN MURINE IGA NEPHROPATHY

AID-Expressing Germinal Center B Cells

Tracking Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Infection of Germinal Center B Cells In Vivo

Infection of mice with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) provides a tractable small animal model to study various aspects of persistent gammaherpesvirus infection. We have previously utilized a transgenic MHV68 that expresses enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) to identify infected cells. While this recombinant MHV68 has been useful for identifying infected cell populations by flow cyto...

Pathological Role of Tonsillar B Cells in IgA Nephropathy

Although impaired immune regulation along the mucosa-bone marrow axis has been postulated to play an important role, the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is unknown; thus, no disease-specific therapy for this disease exists. The therapeutic efficacy of tonsillectomy or tonsillectomy in combination with steroid pulse therapy for IgAN has been discussed. Although randomized control trials f...

Mesangial Proliferation in Murine Experimental IgA Nephropathy

The therapeutic effects of saccharolytic and proteolytic enzymes were investigated in models of IgA nephropathy. Mesangial glomerulonephritis was induced in mice by intravenous injection of preformed soluble immune complexes of dextran sulfate and either IgA (J 558) or IgM (MOPC 104 E) antidextran MAb (passive model) or by immunization with DEAE dextran (active model). In the passive model, onl...

Maintenance of human germinal center B cells in vitro.

The ability to maintain germinal center (GC) B cells in culture should facilitate studies on the molecular and cellular events which accompany affinity maturation and the generation of memory in T-dependent responses. We have investigated the ability of cytokines to maintain human tonsillar GC B cells (IgD-/CD39-/CD38+/CD77+) in the "CD40 culture system". In the absence of added cytokines, CD40...