Maternal immunization with ovalbumin or Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus has opposing effects on FcγRIIb expression on offspring B cells

BACKGROUND Over the last decade, our group has demonstrated that murine preconception immunization with allergens has a protective effect on allergy development in offspring. The murine model used in the present study allowed us to compare allergy induction by ovalbumin (OVA) and dust mite extract from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp). FINDINGS Female mice were immunized with OVA or Dp. Pups from immunized and non-immune mothers were immunized at 3 days old (do) with the same antigen used for the maternal immunization. The offspring were analyzed at 20 do. Preconceptional immunization with OVA or Dp did not increase maternal IgE serum levels, although the immunizations induced an increase in allergen-specific IgG1 Ab levels. Offspring serum analyses revealed that maternal immunization with OVA suppressed IgE production only in offspring immunized with OVA. Both preconception immunization protocols inhibited cellular influx into the airways of immunized offspring compared with controls. Similar frequencies of offspring IgM + B cells were found in the OVA- and Dp-immunized groups compared with their respective control groups. Moreover, preconception immunization with OVA enhanced FcγRIIb expression on OVA-immunized offspring B cells. In contrast, decreased FcγRIIb expression was detected on Dp-immunized offspring B cells compared with cells from the offspring of non-immune mothers. CONCLUSIONS Together, these results show that preconception OVA immunization and Dp immunization can inhibit allergy development but have opposite effects on FcγRIIb expression on offspring B cells.