Cell Reports (Aug 2021)

B cells promote CD8 T cell primary and memory responses to subunit vaccines

  • Jared Klarquist,
  • Eric W. Cross,
  • Scott B. Thompson,
  • Benjamin Willett,
  • Daniel L. Aldridge,
  • Alayna K. Caffrey-Carr,
  • Zhenming Xu,
  • Christopher A. Hunter,
  • Andrew Getahun,
  • Ross M. Kedl

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 36, no. 8
p. 109591

Abstract

Read online

Summary: The relationship between B cells and CD4 T cells has been carefully studied, revealing a collaborative effort in which B cells promote the activation, differentiation, and expansion of CD4 T cells while the so-called “helper” cells provide signals to B cells, influencing their class switching and fate. Interactions between B cells and CD8 T cells are not as well studied, although CD8 T cells exhibit an accelerated contraction after certain infections in B-cell-deficient mice. Here, we find that B cells significantly enhance primary CD8 T cell responses after vaccination. Moreover, memory CD8 numbers and function are impaired in B-cell-deficient animals, leading to increased susceptibility to bacterial challenge. We also show that interleukin-27 production by B cells contributes to their impact on primary, but not memory, CD8 responses. Better understanding of the interactions between CD8 T cells and B cells may aid in the design of more effective future vaccine strategies.

Keywords