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The goal of this study was to characterize how natural routes of infection affect the kinetics of pathogenic Leptospira dissemination to blood and kidney. C3H/HeJ mice were sublethally infected with L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni FioCruz L1-130 (Leptospira) through exposure of a dermis wound and through oral and nasal mucosa, in comparison to uninfected mice and to mice infected via standard intraperitoneal inoculation. In striking contrast to oral mucosa inoculation, transdermal and nasal mucosa infections led to weight loss, renal colonization and inflammation, as previously observed for conjunctival and intraperitoneal infections. However, the timing at which Leptospira gained access to blood, as well as Leptospira’ colonization of the kidney and shedding in urine, differed from intraperitoneal infection. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of transcription of pro-inflammatory mediators in kidney and total immunoglobulin isotyping in serum from infected mice, showed increased innate immune response markers (KC, MIP-2, TNF-α) and lower Th1 associated IFN-γ in kidney, as well as lower Th1 associated IgG2a in mice infected through the nasal mucosa as compared to intraperitoneal infection. We conclude that the route of infection affects the timing at which Leptospira gains access to blood for dissemination, as well as the dynamics of colonization and inflammation of the kidney., Author summary Leptospirosis is a neglected disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira that affects humans and animals. Hosts contract Leptospira after exposure to contaminated water through cuts and bruises on skin and mucous membranes. We hypothesized that the route of infection may affect the kinetics of Leptospira dissemination to tissues and leptospirosis progression. In this study, we evaluated the clinical outcomes, and kidney colonization and inflammation after exposure of mice to pathogenic Leptospira using three natural routes of infection. In contrast to transdermal and nasal mucosa, infection through oral mucosa did not cause weight loss and did not result in renal colonization or inflammation. We also found that different natural routes of infection affect the timing at which Leptospira gain access to blood for dissemination, as well as bacterial burden and levels of pro-inflammatory markers in kidney. Precise timing of bacterial dissemination in blood and urine are important differences to consider for assessment of clinical signs of leptospirosis and for development of diagnostic assays for direct detection of Leptospira in human and veterinary biological samples. These studies also provide disease model tools in which to test the efficacy of vaccine candidates using natural routes of infection.

International audience; Proper brain development relies highly on protein N-glycosylation to sustain neuronal migration, axon guidance and synaptic physiology. Impairing the N-glycosylation pathway at early steps produces broad neurological symptoms identified in congenital disorders of glycosylation. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying these defects. We generated a cerebellum specific knockout mouse for Srd5a3, a gene involved in the initiation of N-glycosylation. In addition to motor coordination defects and abnormal granule cell development, Srd5a3 deletion causes mild N-glycosylation impairment without significantly altering ER homeostasis. Using proteomic approaches, we identified that Srd5a3 loss affects a subset of glycoproteins with high N-glycans multiplicity per protein and decreased protein abundance or N-glycosylation level. As IgSF-CAM adhesion proteins are critical for neuron adhesion and highly N-glycosylated, we observed impaired IgSF-CAM-mediated neurite outgrowth and axon guidance in Srd5a3 mutant cerebellum. Our results link high N-glycan multiplicity to fine-tuned neural cell adhesion during mammalian brain development.

To mount highly specific and adapted immune responses, B lymphocytes assemble and diversify their antibody repertoire through mechanisms involving the formation of programmed DNA damage. Immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) is triggered by DNA lesions induced by activation-induced cytidine deaminase, which are processed to double-stranded DNA break (DSB) intermediates. These DSBs activate the cellular DNA damage response and enroll numerous DNA repair factors, involving poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases Parp1, Parp2, and Parp3 to promote appropriate DNA repair and efficient long-range recombination. The macroParp Parp9, which is overexpressed in certain lymphomas, has been recently implicated in DSB repair, acting together with Parp1. Here, we examine the contribution of Parp9 to the resolution of physiological DSBs incurred during V(D)J recombination and CSR by generating Parp9-/- mice. We find that Parp9-deficient mice are viable, fertile, and do not show any overt phenotype. Moreover, we find that Parp9 is dispensable for B-cell development. Finally, we show that CSR and DNA end-joining are robust in the absence of Parp9, indicating that Parp9 is not essential in vivo to achieve physiological DSB repair, or that strong compensatory mechanisms exist.

Several studies have reported that regulatory elements located 3′ of the IgH locus (namely hs3a, hs1,2, hs3b, and hs4) might play a role during class switch recombination (CSR) and Ig synthesis. While individual deletion of hs3a or hs1,2 had no effect, pairwise deletion of hs3b (an inverted copy of hs3a) and hs4 markedly affected CSR and Ig expression. Among these two elements, hs4 was tentatively presented with the master role due to its unique status within the 3′ regulatory region: distal position outside repeated regions, early activation in pre-B cells, strong activity throughout B cell ontogeny. To clarify its role, we generated mice with a clean deletion of the hs4 after replacement with a floxed neoR cassette. Surprisingly, and as for previous deletion of hs3a or hs1,2, deletion of hs4 did not affect either in vivo CSR or the secretion level of any Ig isotype. In vitro CSR and Ig secretion in response to LPS and cytokines was not affected either. The only noticeable effects of the hs4 deletion were a decrease in the number of B splenocytes and a decreased membrane IgM expression. In conclusion, while dispensable for CSR and Ig transcription in plasma cells, hs4 mostly appears to contribute to Ig transcription in resting B lymphocytes.

International audience; Ubiquitin inclusions represent a cytopathological hallmark of ALS. The ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation pathway may also be involved in the pathophysiology of SOD1 mutated ALS cases as demonstrated in transgenic animals. UBE2H is an ubiquitin conjugating enzyme known to act on histones and cytoskeletal proteins, both involved in the degenerative pathway of the motor neuron. We screened the whole coding sequence of the UBE2H gene in 24 sporadic ALS (SALS) patients using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). All variants detected by SSCP were analysed by genomic DNA sequencing. We found one known polymorphism (rs12539800) and two new synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (nG78A and nG501A). The allele distribution of the rs12539800 (A336G) SNP were tested for association in 252 SALS patients and 357 controls. The allele and genotype distributions were identical in the two groups. The UBE2H gene is not implicated in SALS; however, the ubiquitin pathway is worthy of further investigation in ALS.

International audience; Adaptive immune systems in prokaryotes and animals give rise to long-term memory through modification of specific genomic loci, such as by insertion of foreign (viral or plasmid) DNA fragments into clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci in prokaryotes and by V(D)J recombination of immunoglobulin genes in vertebrates. Strikingly, recombinases derived from unrelated mobile genetic elements have essential roles in both prokaryotic and vertebrate adaptive immune systems. Mobile elements, which are ubiquitous in cellular life forms, provide the only known, naturally evolved tools for genome engineering that are successfully adopted by both innate immune systems and genome-editing technologies. In this Opinion article, we present a general scenario for the origin of adaptive immunity from mobile elements and innate immune systems.

National audience; Nectin and nectin-like (Necl) are cell adhesion molecules expressed in various tumors. They were alternatively reported as involved in tumor suppressor or oncogenic functions that led to their use as histological or serological cancer markers. Gene inactivation in lung carcinoma but overexpression in leukemia were reported for Necl-2. DNAM-1 and CRTAM are emerging NK receptors of immune cells that were described to interact with nectin and Necl. DNAM-1, constitutively expressed by CD8(+) T cells, NK or γδ T lymphocytes, is a ligand of Necl-5. It participates to tumor immunosurveillance promoting Necl-5 expressing tumor cell lysis. CRTAM, only expressed after lymphocyte activation, is a ligand of Necl-2. Engagement of CRTAM with Necl-2 has opposite effects depending on the type of lymphocyte. For NK or CD8(+) T cells, it promotes cytotoxicity and IFNγ secretion favoring immunosurveillance. By contrast, CRTAM/Necl-2 interaction triggers cell death of activated TVg9Vd2 γδ T cells favoring immune escape. Nectin and Necl-mediated interactions appear to be crucial for the delicate balance between tumor escape and antitumor response.

International audience; Physiology usually combines polyclonal antibodies of multiple classes in a single humoral response. Beyond their common ability to bind antigens, these various classes of human immunoglobulins carry specific functions which can each serve specific goals. In many cases, the function of a monoclonal therapeutic antibody may thus be modulated according to the class of its constant domains. Depending on the immunoglobulin class, different functional assays will be used in order to evaluate the functional activity of a monoclonal antibody.

In adult mammals, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in the bone marrow (BM) and are maintained in a quiescent and undifferentiated state through adhesive interactions with specialized microenvironmental niches. Although junctional adhesion molecule-C (JAM-C) is expressed by HSCs, its function in adult hematopoiesis remains elusive. Here, we show that HSCs adhere to JAM-B expressed by BM stromal cells in a JAM-C dependent manner. The interaction regulates the interplay between HSCs and BM stromal cells as illustrated by the decreased pool of quiescent HSCs observed in jam-b deficient mice. We further show that this is probably because of alterations of BM stromal compartments and changes in SDF-1α BM content in jam-b−/− mice, suggesting that JAM-B is an active player in the maintenance of the BM stromal microenvironment.

DREAM/KChIP-3 is a calcium-dependent transcriptional repressor highly expressed in immune cells. Transgenic mice expressing a dominant active DREAM mutant show reduced serum Ig levels. In vitro assays show that reduced Ig secretion is an intrinsic defect of transgenic B cells that occurs without impairment in plasma cell differentiation, class switch recombination, or Ig transcription. Surprisingly, transgenic B cells show an accelerated entry in cell division. Transcriptomic analysis of transgenic B cells revealed that hyperproliferative B cell response could be correlated with a reduced expression of Klf9, a cell-cycle regulator. Pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that the defect in Ig production is associated with reduced translation rather than with increased protein degradation. Importantly, transgenic B cells showed reduced expression of the Eif4g3 gene, which encodes a protein related to protein translation. Our results disclose, to our knowledge, a novel function of DREAM in proliferation and Ig synthesis in B lymphocytes.

International audience; Fy blood group antigens are carried by the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), a red cells receptor for Plasmodium vivax broadly implicated in human health and diseases. Recombinant VHHs, or nanobodies, the smallest intact antigen binding fragment derivative from the heavy chain-only antibodies present in camelids, were prepared from a dromedary immunized against DARC N-terminal extracellular domain and selected for DARC binding. A described VHH, CA52, does recognize native DARC on cells. It inhibits P. vivax invasion of erythrocytes and displaces interleukin-8 bound to DARC. The targeted epitope overlaps the well-defined DARC Fy6 epitope. K (D) of CA52-DARC equilibrium is sub-nanomolar, hence ideal to develop diagnostic or therapeutic compounds. Immunocapture by immobilized CA52 yielded highly purified DARC from engineered K562 cells. This first report on a VHH with specificity for a red blood cell protein exemplifies VHHs' potentialities to target, to purify, and to modulate the function of cellular markers.

International audience; CD31 is a transmembrane molecule endowed with T cell regulatory functions owing to the presence of 2 immunotyrosine-based inhibitory motifs. For reasons not understood, CD31 is lost by a portion of circulating T lymphocytes, which appear prone to uncontrolled activation. In this study, we show that extracellular T cell CD31 comprising Ig-like domains 1 to 5 is cleaved and shed from the surface of human T cells upon activation via their TCR. The shed CD31 can be specifically detected as a soluble, truncated protein in human plasma. CD31 shedding results in the loss of its inhibitory function because the necessary cis-homo-oligomerization of the molecule, triggered by the trans-homophilic engagement of the distal Ig-like domain 1, cannot be established by CD31(shed) cells. However, we show that a juxta-membrane extracellular sequence, comprising part of the domain 6, remains expressed at the surface of CD31(shed) T cells. We also show that the immunosuppressive CD31 peptide aa 551-574 is highly homophilic and possibly acts by homo-oligomerizing with the truncated CD31 remaining after its cleavage and shedding. This peptide is able to sustain phosphorylation of the CD31 ITIM(686) and of SHP2 and to inhibit TCR-induced T cell activation. Finally, systemic administration of the peptide in BALB/c mice efficiently suppresses Ag-induced T cell-mediated immune responses in vivo. We conclude that the loss of T cell regulation caused by CD31 shedding driven by TCR stimulation can be rescued by molecular tools able to engage the truncated juxta-membrane extracellular molecule that remains exposed at the surface of CD31(shed) cells.

International audience; Fy blood group antigens are carried by the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), a red cells receptor for Plasmodium vivax broadly implicated in human health and diseases. Recombinant VHHs, or nanobodies, the smallest intact antigen binding fragment derivative from the heavy chain-only antibodies present in camelids, were prepared from a dromedary immunized against DARC N-terminal extracellular domain and selected for DARC binding. A described VHH, CA52, does recognize native DARC on cells. It inhibits P. vivax invasion of erythrocytes and displaces interleukin-8 bound to DARC. The targeted epitope overlaps the well-defined DARC Fy6 epitope. K (D) of CA52-DARC equilibrium is sub-nanomolar, hence ideal to develop diagnostic or therapeutic compounds. Immunocapture by immobilized CA52 yielded highly purified DARC from engineered K562 cells. This first report on a VHH with specificity for a red blood cell protein exemplifies VHHs' potentialities to target, to purify, and to modulate the function of cellular markers.

International audience; Fy blood group antigens are carried by the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), a red cells receptor for Plasmodium vivax broadly implicated in human health and diseases. Recombinant VHHs, or nanobodies, the smallest intact antigen binding fragment derivative from the heavy chain-only antibodies present in camelids, were prepared from a dromedary immunized against DARC N-terminal extracellular domain and selected for DARC binding. A described VHH, CA52, does recognize native DARC on cells. It inhibits P. vivax invasion of erythrocytes and displaces interleukin-8 bound to DARC. The targeted epitope overlaps the well-defined DARC Fy6 epitope. K (D) of CA52-DARC equilibrium is sub-nanomolar, hence ideal to develop diagnostic or therapeutic compounds. Immunocapture by immobilized CA52 yielded highly purified DARC from engineered K562 cells. This first report on a VHH with specificity for a red blood cell protein exemplifies VHHs' potentialities to target, to purify, and to modulate the function of cellular markers.

International audience; CD31 is a transmembrane molecule endowed with T cell regulatory functions owing to the presence of 2 immunotyrosine-based inhibitory motifs. For reasons not understood, CD31 is lost by a portion of circulating T lymphocytes, which appear prone to uncontrolled activation. In this study, we show that extracellular T cell CD31 comprising Ig-like domains 1 to 5 is cleaved and shed from the surface of human T cells upon activation via their TCR. The shed CD31 can be specifically detected as a soluble, truncated protein in human plasma. CD31 shedding results in the loss of its inhibitory function because the necessary cis-homo-oligomerization of the molecule, triggered by the trans-homophilic engagement of the distal Ig-like domain 1, cannot be established by CD31(shed) cells. However, we show that a juxta-membrane extracellular sequence, comprising part of the domain 6, remains expressed at the surface of CD31(shed) T cells. We also show that the immunosuppressive CD31 peptide aa 551-574 is highly homophilic and possibly acts by homo-oligomerizing with the truncated CD31 remaining after its cleavage and shedding. This peptide is able to sustain phosphorylation of the CD31 ITIM(686) and of SHP2 and to inhibit TCR-induced T cell activation. Finally, systemic administration of the peptide in BALB/c mice efficiently suppresses Ag-induced T cell-mediated immune responses in vivo. We conclude that the loss of T cell regulation caused by CD31 shedding driven by TCR stimulation can be rescued by molecular tools able to engage the truncated juxta-membrane extracellular molecule that remains exposed at the surface of CD31(shed) cells.

In addition to producing conventional tetrameric IgGs, camelids have the particularity of producing a functional homodimeric IgG type lacking L (light) chains and only made up of two H (heavy) chains. This nonconventional IgG type is characterized by variable and constant regions referred to as VHH and CHH, respectively, and which differ from conventional VH and CH counterparts. Although the structural properties of homodimeric IgGs have been well investigated, the genetic bases involved in their generation are still largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the organization of genes coding for the H chains of tetrameric and homodimeric IgGs by constructing an alpaca (Lama pacos) genomic cosmid library. We showed that a single IgH locus in alpaca chromosome 4 contains all of the genetic elements required for the generation of the two types of Igs. The alpaca IgH locus is composed of a V region that contains both VHH and VH genes followed by a unique DH-JH cluster and C region genes, which include both CHH and CH genes. Although this general gene organization greatly resembles that of other typical mammalian Vn-Dn-Jn-Cn translocon IgH loci, the intermixed gene organization within the alpaca V and C regions reveals a new type of translocon IgH locus. Furthermore, analyses of cDNA coding for the membrane forms of IgG and IgM present in alpaca peripheral blood B cells are most consistent with the notion that the development of a B cell bearing homodimeric IgG passes through an IgM+ stage, similar to the case for conventional IgG.

Allergic asthma is a chronic disease characterized by airway obstruction in response to allergen exposure. It results from an inappropriate T helper type 2 response to environmental airborne antigens and affects 300 million individuals. Its prevalence has increased markedly in recent decades, most probably as a result of changes in environmental factors. Exposure to environmental antigens during infancy is crucial to the development of asthma. Epidemiological studies on the relationship between breastfeeding and allergic diseases have reached conflicting results. Here, we have investigated whether the exposure of lactating mice to an airborne allergen affects asthma development in progeny. We found that airborne antigens were efficiently transferred from the mother to the neonate through milk and that tolerance induction did not require the transfer of immunoglobulins. Breastfeeding-induced tolerance relied on the presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta during lactation, was mediated by regulatory CD4+ T lymphocytes and depended on TGF-beta signaling in T cells. In conclusion, breast milk-mediated transfer of an antigen to the neonate resulted in oral tolerance induction leading to antigen-specific protection from allergic airway disease. This study may pave the way for the design of new strategies to prevent the development of allergic diseases.

Myofibril elasticity, critical to muscle function, is dictated by the intrasarcomeric filament titin, which acts as a molecular spring. To date, the molecular events underlying the mechanics of the folded titin chain remain largely unknown. We have elucidated the crystal structure of the 6-Ig fragment I65–I70 from the elastic I-band fraction of titin and validated its conformation in solution using small angle x-ray scattering. The long-range properties of the chain have been visualized by electron microscopy on a 19-Ig fragment and modeled for the full skeletal tandem. Results show that conserved Ig–Ig transition motifs generate high-order in the structure of the filament, where conformationally stiff segments interspersed with pliant hinges form a regular pattern of dynamic super-motifs leading to segmental flexibility in the chain. Pliant hinges support molecular shape rearrangements that dominate chain behavior at moderate stretch, whereas stiffer segments predictably oppose high stretch forces upon full chain extension. There, librational entropy can be expected to act as an energy barrier to prevent Ig unfolding while, instead, triggering the unraveling of flanking springs formed by proline, glutamate, valine, and lysine (PEVK) sequences. We propose a mechanistic model based on freely jointed rigid segments that rationalizes the response to stretch of titin Ig-tandems according to molecular features.

B cells follow two functionally distinct pathways of development: a classical germinal center (GC) T-dependent pathway in which diversification and maturation generate a slow, but virtually unlimited high-affinity response to cognate antigens; and a marginal zone (MZ) T-independent pathway providing a first line of 'innate-like' defense against specific pathogens. Cells populating these two distinct locations are the normal counterparts of two clinically important pathological entities, follicular lymphoma (FL) and MZ lymphoma (MZL). FL and MZ represent paradigms of two rising concepts of lymphomagenesis, protracted preclinical and antigen-driven lymphoproliferation, respectively. Integrating the mechanisms and functions of MZ and GC B cells and the distinctive features of their pathological counterparts should provide essential clues to the understanding of their malignant development, and should offer new insights into the design of effective treatments for B-cell lymphomas.

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are involved in the control of fundamental cellular processes in metazoans. In vertebrates, RTK could be grouped in distinct classes based on the nature of their cognate ligand and modular composition of their extracellular domain. RTK with immunoglobulin-like domains (IG-like RTK) encompass several RTK classes and have been found in early metazoans, including sponges. Evolution of IG-like RTK is characterized by extended molecular and functional diversification, which prompted us to study their evolutionary history. For that purpose, a nonredundant data set including annotated protein sequences of IG-like RTK (n = 85) was built, representing 19 species ranging from sponges to humans. Phylogenetic trees were generated from alignment of conserved regions using maximum likelihood approach. Molecular phylogeny strongly suggests that IG-like RTK diversification occurred according to a complex scenario. In particular, we propose that specific cis duplications of a common ancestor to both platelet-derived growth factor receptor (class III) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (class V) families preceded two trans duplications. In contrast, other IG-like RTK genes, like Musk and PTK7, apparently did not evolve by duplications, whereas fibroblast growth factor receptors (class IV) evolved through two rounds of trans duplications. The proposed model of IG-like RTK evolution is supported by high bootstrap values and by the clustering of genes encoding class III and class V RTKs at specific chromosomal locations in mouse and human genomes.

International audience; Using a porcine ileal in vitro organ culture model, we have demonstrated that egg yolk-derived antibodies specific for the attaching and effacing Escherichia coli (AEEC) virulence factors intimin and translocated intimin receptor (Tir), but not those specific for the AEEC-secreted proteins EspA, EspB and EspD, significantly reduced the bacterial adherence of the porcine enteropathogenic E. coli strain ECL1001, formerly 86-1390. Moreover, antibodies specific for intimin and Tir also significantly reduced bacterial adherence of heterologous AEEC strains, including human, bovine and canine enteropathogenic E. coli strains, as well as of O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains in this model. In addition, we demonstrated that the oral administration of these anti-intimin antibodies significantly reduced the extent of attaching and effacing lesions found in the small intestine of weaned pigs challenged with the porcine enteropathogenic E. coli strain ECL1001. Overall, our results underline the potential use of specific egg yolk-derived antibodies as a novel approach for the prevention of AEEC infections.

International audience; Human IgM+ IgD+ CD27+ B cells have mutated Ig genes and harbor a splenic marginal zone (MZ) phenotype. In this issue, the group of R. K?rs has studied the expression of the enzyme activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in human spleen samples by immunocytochemistry and failed to detect a significant AID-expressing subset in the MZ region. The consequences on the possible origin of these cells are discussed.

Lymphocytes and plasma cells are major actors of the adaptive immune response and can rightly be considered as human health keepers. However, recombination and mutation events occurring at high rate in the B cell lineage also expose these cells to gene alterations, potentially resulting in uncontrolled and life-threatening cell proliferation. Although in cultured cell lines, such gene alterations frequently generate nonsecretory variants, most immunoproliferative B cell disorders feature in vivo immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion. In this paper, we review the molecular mechanisms involved in various instances of the rare, nonsecretory myelomas, in light of current notions about the molecular control of Ig production, assembly, and secretion in normal B cells. We finallydocument the attractive hypothesis that B cell clones, which retain nonsecretable, intracellular Igs, may be ideal, in vivo targets for efficient anti-idiotypic immune responses, and clones featuring an abundant secretion may by contrast easily induce T cell anergy and escape the anti-tumoral immune surveillance.

Immunoglobulin heavy-chain class-switch recombination (CSR) occurs between highly repetitive switch sequences located upstream of the constant region genes. However, the role of these sequences remains unclear. Mutant mice were generated in which most of the Iμ-Cμ intron was deleted, including all the repeats. Late B-cell development was characterized by a severe impairment, but not a complete block, in class switching to all isotypes despite normal germ line transcription. Sequence analysis of the Iμ-Cμ intron in in vitro activated–mutant splenocytes did not reveal any significant increase in activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID)–induced somatic mutations. Analysis of switch junctions showed that, in the absence of any Sμ repeat, the Iμ exon was readily used as a substrate for CSR. In contrast to the sequence alterations downstream of the switch junctions, very few, if any, mutations were found upstream of the junction sites. Our data suggest that the core Eμ enhancer could be the boundary for CSR-associated somatic mutations. We propose that the core Eμ enhancer plays a central role in the temporal dissociation of somatic hypermutation from class switching.

The more distal enhancers of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain 3′ regulatory region, hs3b and hs4, were recently demonstrated as master control elements of germline transcription and class switch recombination to most immunoglobulin constant genes. In addition, they were shown to enhance the accumulation of somatic mutations on linked transgenes. Since somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination are tightly linked processes, their common dependency on the endogenous locus 3′ enhancers could be an attractive hypothesis. VDJ structure and somatic hypermutation were analyzed in B cells from mice carrying either a heterozygous or a homozygous deletion of these enhancers. We find that hs3b and hs4 are dispensable both for VDJ assembly and for the occurrence of mutations at a physiologic frequency in the endogenous locus. In addition, we show that cells functionally expressing the immunoglobulin M (IgM) class B-cell receptor encoded by an hs3b/hs4-deficient locus were fully able to enter germinal centers, undergo affinity maturation, and yield specific antibody responses in homozygous mutant mice, where IgG1 antibodies compensated for the defect in other IgG isotypes. By contrast, analysis of Peyer patches from heterozygous animals showed that peanut agglutinin (PNAhigh) B cells functionally expressing the hs3b/hs4-deficient allele were dramatically outclassed by B cells expressing the wild-type locus and normally switching to IgA. This study thus also highlights the role of germinal centers in the competition between B cells for affinity maturation and suggests that membrane IgA may promote recruitment in an activated B-cell compartment, or proliferation of activated B cells, more efficiently than IgM in Peyer patches.

International audience; The A-band part of titin, a striated-muscle speci®c protein spanning from the Z-line to the M-line, mainly consists of a well-ordered super-repeat array of immunoglobulin-like and ®bronectin-type III (fn3)-like domains. Since it has been suspected that the fn3 domains might represent titin's binding sites to myosin, we have developed structural models for all of titin's 132 fn3-like domains. A subset of eight experimentally determined fn3 structures from a range of proteins, including titin itself, was used as homology templates. After grouping the models according to their position within the super-repeat segment of the central A-band titin region, we analyzed the models with respect to side-chain conservation. This showed that conserved residues form an extensive surface pattern predominantly at one side of the domains, whereas domains outside the central C-zone super-repeat region show generally less conserved surfaces. Since the conserved surface residues may function as protein-binding sites, we experimentally studied the binding properties of expressed multi-domain fn3 fragments. This revealed that fn3 fragments speci®cally bind to the sub-fragment 1 of myosin. We also measured the effect of fn3 fragments on the contractile properties of single cardiac myocytes. At sub-maximal Ca 2‡ concentrations, fn3 fragments signi®cantly enhance active tension. This effect is most pronounced at short sarcomere length, and as a result the length-dependence of Ca 2‡ activation is reduced. A model of how titin's fn3-like domains may in¯uence actomyosin interaction is proposed.

Fusion of antigenic proteins to Ig-binding proteins such as protein A from Staphylococcus aureus and its derived ZZ fragment is known to increase immunogenicity of the fused Ag in vivo. To shed light on the origin of this effect, we used snake toxins as Ags and observed that 1) fusion of toxins to ZZ enhanced their presentation to a toxin-specific T cell hybridoma (T1B2), using A20 B lymphoma cells, splenocytes, or peritoneal exudate cells as APCs; 2) this enhancement further increased when the number of fused Ig-binding domains varied from two with ZZ to five with protein A; and 3) the phenomenon vanished when the fusion protein was preincubated with an excess of free ZZ or when P388D1 monocytes cells were used as APCs. Therefore, ZZ-fused toxins are likely to be targeted to surface Igs of APCs by their ZZ moiety. Furthermore, ZZ-α and toxin α stimulated similar profiles of toxin-specific T cells in BALB/c mice, suggesting a comparable processing and presentation in vivo for both toxin forms. To improve the targeting efficiency, ZZ-α was noncovalently complexed to various Igs directed to different cell surface components of APCs. The resulting complexes were up to 103-fold more potent than the free toxin at stimulating T1B2. Also, they elicited both a T cell and an Ab response in BALB/c mice, without the need of any adjuvant. This simple approach may find practical applications by increasing the immunogenicity of recombinant proteins without the use of adjuvant.