Blood-Borne ST6GAL1 Regulates Immunoglobulin Production in B Cells.

Humoral immunity is an effective but metabolically expensive defense mechanism. It is unclear whether systemic cues exist to communicate the dynamic need for antigen presentation and immunoglobulin production. Here, we report a novel role for the liver-produced, acute phase reactant ST6GAL1 in IgG production. B cell expression of ST6GAL1, a sialyltransferase mediating the attachment of α2,6-linked sialic acids on N-glycans, is classically implicated in the dysregulated B cell development and immunoglobulin levels of St6gal1-deficient mice. However, the blood-borne pool of ST6GAL1, upregulated during systemic inflammation, can also extrinsically modify leukocyte cell surfaces. We show that B cell independent, extracellular ST6GAL1 enhances B cell IgG production and increases blood IgG titers. B cells of mice lacking the hepatocyte specific St6gal1 promoter have reduced sialylation of cell surface CD22 and CD45 and produce less IgG upon stimulation. Sialylation of B cells by extracellular ST6GAL1 boosts expression of IgM, IgD, and CD86, proliferation, and IgG production in vitro. In vivo, elevation of blood ST6GAL1 enhances B cell development and systemic IgG in a CD22-dependent manner. Our data point to a function of an extracellular glycosyltransferase in promoting humoral immunity. Manipulation of systemic ST6GAL1 may represent an effective therapeutic approach for humoral insufficiency.

Siglecs in Brain Function and Neurological Disorders.

Siglecs (Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-type lectins) are a I-type lectin that typically binds sialic acid. Siglecs are predominantly expressed in immune cells and generate activating or inhibitory signals. They are also shown to be expressed on the surface of cells in the nervous system and have been shown to play central roles in neuroinflammation. There has been a plethora of reviews outlining the studies pertaining to Siglecs in immune cells. However, this review aims to compile the articles on the role of Siglecs in brain function and neurological disorders. In humans, the most abundant Siglecs are CD33 (Siglec-3), Siglec-4 (myelin-associated glycoprotein/MAG), and Siglec-11, Whereas in mice the most abundant are Siglec-1 (sialoadhesin), Siglec-2 (CD22), Siglec-E, Siglec-F, and Siglec-H. This review is divided into three parts. Firstly, we discuss the general biological aspects of Siglecs that are expressed in nervous tissue. Secondly, we discuss about the role of Siglecs in brain function and molecular mechanism for their function. Finally, we collate the available information on Siglecs and neurological disorders. It is intriguing to study this family of proteins in neurological disorders because they carry immunoinhibitory and immunoactivating motifs that can be vital in neuroinflammation.

First characterization of fish CD22: An inhibitory role in the activation of peripheral blood leukocytes.

In mammals, CD22 is a member of the Ig superfamily that serves as an inhibitor during B cell responses to foreign antigens. In this study, we characterized for the first time a fish CD22 from tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis (CsCD22). CsCD22 possesses the conserved structural features of CD22 and shares 35%-54% sequence identities with other fish CD22. mRNA expression of CsCD22 was most abundant in head kidney and heart. CsCD22 protein was detected on the surface of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). In the presence of rCsCD22 antibody, the proliferation, phagocytosis, and antibacterial activity of PBL were significantly increased. These results indicate for the first time that fish CD22 plays an inhibitory role in PBL activation.

Siglecs induce tolerance to cell surface antigens by BIM-dependent deletion of the antigen-reactive B cells.

Infusion of blood cells from a donor can induce humoral tolerance in a recipient and increase the probability of successful organ transplant, a clinical method defined as donor-specific transfusion (DST). Despite the clinical success of DST, the immunological mechanisms by which blood cells displaying a foreign Ag induce tolerance remain poorly understood. Based on recent findings showing that the B cell siglecs, CD22 and Siglec-G, can promote tolerance to Ags presented on the same surface as their ligands, we speculated that the B cell siglecs are key players in tolerance induced by DST. Using a variety of chemical and genetic approaches, we show that the B cell siglecs mediate tolerance to cell surface Ags by initiating an inhibitory signal that culminates in elimination of the Ag-reactive B cell. CD22 and Siglec-G are recruited to the immunological synapse by sialic acid ligands on the Ag-bearing cells, producing a tolerogenic signal involving Lyn and the proapoptotic factor BIM that promotes deletion of the B cell and failure of mice to develop Abs to the Ag upon subsequent challenge. We speculate that this tolerogenic mechanism is a contributing factor in DST and a mechanism of peripheral B cell tolerance to cell surface autoantigens.

STALing B cell responses with CD22.

Suppressing unwanted humoral immune responses without compromising the host's ability to respond to foreign pathogens is a primary goal for therapies aimed at ameliorating harmful autoantibody production. Global suppression of the immune system via lymphocyte depletion and/or immunosuppressive drugs can have off-target effects, a limitation to conventional therapies. In this issue of the JCI, Macauley and colleagues utilize a novel platform to inhibit antigen-specific antibody production that preserves the immune system's ability to respond to unrelated antigens.

Antigenic liposomes displaying CD22 ligands induce antigen-specific B cell apoptosis.

Antibodies confer humoral immunity but can also be harmful when they target an autoantigen, alloantigen, allergen, or biotherapeutic. New strategies are needed for antigen-specific suppression of undesired antibody responses, particularly to T cell-dependent protein antigens, because they elicit T cell help. Here we show that liposomal nanoparticles, displaying both antigen and glycan ligands of the inhibitory coreceptor CD22, induce a tolerogenic program that selectively causes apoptosis in mouse and human B cells. These SIGLEC-engaging tolerance-inducing antigenic liposomes (STALs, where SIGLEC is defined as sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin) induced robust antigen-specific tolerance to protein antigens in mice, preventing subsequent immune response to challenge with the same antigen. Since development of inhibitory antibodies to FVIII is a serious problem in treatment of hemophilia A patients, we investigated the potential of this approach for inducing tolerance to FVIII in a hemophilia mouse model. STALs prevented formation of inhibitory FVIII antibodies, allowing for effective administration of FVIII to hemophilia mice to prevent bleeding. These findings suggest that STALs could be used to eliminate or prevent harmful B cell-mediated immune responses.

CD22 expression mediates the regulatory functions of peritoneal B-1a cells during the remission phase of contact hypersensitivity reactions.

Although contact hypersensitivity (CHS) has been considered a prototype of T cell-mediated immune reactions, recently a significant contribution of regulatory B cell subsets in the suppression of CHS has been demonstrated. CD22, one of the sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins, is a B cell-specific molecule that negatively regulates BCR signaling. To clarify the roles of B cells in CHS, CHS in CD22(-/-) mice was investigated. CD22(-/-) mice showed delayed recovery from CHS reactions compared with that of wild-type mice. Transfer of wild-type peritoneal B-1a cells reversed the prolonged CHS reaction seen in CD22(-/-) mice, and this was blocked by the simultaneous injection with IL-10 receptor Ab. Although CD22(-/-) peritoneal B-1a cells were capable of producing IL-10 at wild-type levels, i.p. injection of differentially labeled wild-type/CD22(-/-) B cells demonstrated that a smaller number of CD22(-/-) B cells resided in lymphoid organs 5 d after CHS elicitation, suggesting a defect in survival or retention in activated CD22(-/-) peritoneal B-1 cells. Thus, our study reveals a regulatory role for peritoneal B-1a cells in CHS. Two distinct regulatory B cell subsets cooperatively inhibit CHS responses. Although splenic CD1d(hi)CD5(+) B cells have a crucial role in suppressing the acute exacerbating phase of CHS, peritoneal B-1a cells are likely to suppress the late remission phase as "regulatory B cells." CD22 deficiency results in disturbed CHS remission by impaired retention or survival of peritoneal B-1a cells that migrate into lymphoid organs.

Developmental acquisition of the Lyn-CD22-SHP-1 inhibitory pathway promotes B cell tolerance.

To better understand whether autoimmunity in Lyn-deficient mice arises from compromised central or peripheral B cell tolerance, we examined BCR signaling properties of wild-type and Lyn-deficient B cells at different stages of development. Wild-type mature follicular B cells were less sensitive to BCR stimulation than were immature transitional stage 1 B cells with regard to BCR-induced calcium elevation and ERK MAPK activation. In the absence of Lyn, mature B cell signaling was greatly enhanced, whereas immature B cell signaling was minimally affected. Correspondingly, Lyn deficiency substantially enhanced the sensitivity of mature B cells to activation via the BCR, but minimally affected events associated with tolerance induction at the immature stage. The effects of CD22 deficiency on BCR signaling were very similar in B cells at different stages of maturation. These results indicate that the Lyn-CD22-Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase-1 inhibitory pathway largely becomes operational as B cell mature, and sets a threshold for activation that appears to be critical for the maintenance of tolerance in the B cell compartment.

CD22 regulates time course of both B cell division and antibody response.

Because pathogens induce infectious symptoms in a time-dependent manner, a rapid immune response is beneficial for defending hosts from pathogens, especially those inducing acute infectious diseases. However, it is largely unknown how the time course of immune responses is regulated. In this study, we demonstrate that B cells deficient in the inhibitory coreceptor CD22 undergo accelerated cell division after Ag stimulation, resulting in rapid generation of plasma cells and Ab production. This finding indicates that CD22 regulates the time course of B cell responses and suggests that CD22 is a good target to shorten the time required for Ab production, thereby augmenting host defense against acute infectious diseases as "universal vaccination."

Signalling pathways in B cells: implications for autoimmunity.

Following investigations of the pathogenic role of autoantibodies in rheumatic diseases, preclinical and clinical studies suggest a more central role of B cells in the maintenance of the disease process beyond just being precursors of (auto)antibody-producing plasma cells. Detailed analyses have implicated a number of surface molecules and subsequent downstream signalling pathways in the regulation of the events induced by BCR engagement. In this review, we discuss the potential role of molecules involved in altered B cell longevity, especially molecules involved in apoptosis (bcl-2, bcl-x, mutations in the Fas/Fas-L pathway), as well as molecules that might alter activation thresholds of B cells (CD19, CD21, CD22, lyn, SHP, SHIP-1) in the development of autoimmunity. Although focused on intrinsic B cell abnormalities, the complexity of interactions of B cells with other immune cells also makes it possible that increased B cell activation can be induced by distortions in the interaction with other cells. Further delineation of these alterations of B cell function in autoimmune conditions will allow development of more precise B cell-directed therapies beyond drastic B cell depletion, with the potential to improve the risk-benefit ratio of the treatments of autoimmune diseases.

Analysis of Lyn/CD22 double-deficient B cells in vivo demonstrates Lyn- and CD22-independent pathways affecting BCR regulation and B cell survival.

B cell fate is determined by the strength of signals from the antigen receptor and from co-receptors that adjust the activation threshold and tune the B cell to its environment. These co-receptors have been broadly classified into inhibitory and enhancing groups, yet some, such as CD22, may have dual effects. CD22 recruits a variety of signal enhancers at the same time as Lyn-dependent phosphorylation leads to the binding of the inhibitory phosphatase SHP-1. To assess the relative importance of Lyn- and CD22-dependent and -independent pathways, we generated Lyn and CD22 single-deficient mice and Lyn/CD22 double-deficient mice expressing the MD4 immunoglobulin transgene against hen egg lysozyme (IgHEL). This genetic approach has enabled us to compare the contributions of Lyn and CD22 to B cell development in vivo, independent of BCR specificity and in the presence and absence of self-antigen. Our results show that although the effects of Lyn are dominant in negative regulation of B cell hyperactivity, Lyn and CD22 have independent and additive effects on B cell survival. These findings emphasize the subtle nature of regulation at the BCR and the usefulness of genetic complementation to dissect common and parallel pathways.