The generation of thymus-independent germinal centers depends on CD40 but not on CD154, the T cell-derived CD40-ligand.

In this report, we show that the formation of germinal center (GC)-like structures to thymus-independent type 2 antigens in mice depends on intact signals through CD40, but does not depend on T cell-derived CD40-ligand (CD154). In addition, we show that follicular dendritic cells (FDC) are also critical to thymus-independent GC formation, as their depletion by blockade of lymphotoxin-beta receptor signals abrogated GC development unless the responding B cells bound antigen with high affinity. Further evidence that immune complexes drove this CD40-dependent B cell proliferation was provided by the observation that an antibody that detects immune complexes containing complement component 4 on FDC also inhibited thymus-independent GC formation when injected in vivo at the time of immunization. Finally, we show that thymus-independent B cell proliferation was associated with class switching to IgG3, as IgG3(+) antigen-specific switched B cells could be visualized directly in GC, suggesting that immune complexes can provide the signals for class switching within GC in the absence of CD154.

Established T cell-driven germinal center B cell proliferation is independent of CD28 signaling but is tightly regulated through CTLA-4.

CD4 T cell activation is positively (CD28) and negatively (CTLA-4) regulated by the costimulatory ligands CD80 and CD86. A central question is how the balance between these two opposing forces is controlled as T cells differentiate. We have previously shown that CD28 signaling is absolutely required to prime naive CD4 T cells to differentiate into effectors that provide help for germinal centers and class-switched Ab responses. In this study, we show that the requirement for CD28 signaling is transient and effector CD4 T cells do not require CD28 signals to sustain their function. The CD28 independence of effector T cells within germinal centers suggested that a key function for CD80/CD86 under these circumstances might be to provide negative regulatory signals via the CD28 homologue CTLA-4. By examining germinal center responses in mice where the ability to signal through T cell CTLA-4 was compromised, we provide data that supports a critical role for CTLA-4 in down-regulating T cell help for germinal center B cells.