B cells modulate the expression of MHC-II on cardiac CCR2− macrophages

C Rocha-Resende, F Pani, L Adamo - Journal of molecular and cellular …, 2021 - Elsevier
Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology, 2021Elsevier
The uninjured murine heart contains a heterogeneous population of macrophages with
disparate ontogenies and functions. These macrophages are often associated with blood
vessels and can be subclassified based on the expression of CC chemokine receptor 2
(CCR2) and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II). The biological cues that
modulate these macrophage pool subpopulations have not been completely identified. It
has been recently shown that a sub-population of circulating naïve B cells adheres to the …
Abstract
The uninjured murine heart contains a heterogeneous population of macrophages with disparate ontogenies and functions. These macrophages are often associated with blood vessels and can be subclassified based on the expression of CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II). The biological cues that modulate these macrophage pool subpopulations have not been completely identified. It has been recently shown that a sub-population of circulating naïve B cells adheres to the myocardial microvasculature. We hypothesized that B cells might modulate the phenotype of myocardial macrophages. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed both the relative location of B cells and macrophages in myocardial histological section and the prevalence of myocardial macrophage subsets in hearts from B cell–deficient mice (μMT) and mice depleted of B cells through administration of an anti-CD20 antibody. We found that B cells pause in the microvasculature in proximity of macrophages and modulate the number of myocardial CCR2MHC-IIhigh cells. Through in vitro studies we found that this is likely the result of a paracrine effect of B cells on the expression of MHC-II in CCR2 cells. These results reveal an unexpected relationship between B cells and resident macrophages and, highlighting a direct intramyocardial effect of circulating B cells, challenge the currently held belief that naïve recirculating B lymphocytes merely shuttle between lymphoid stations.
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