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Srikakulapu, Prasad; Hu, Desheng; Yin, Changjun; Mohanta, Sarajo K.; Bontha, Sai Vineela; Peng, Li; Beer, Michael; Weber, Christian; McNamara, Coleen A.; Grassia, Gianluca; Maffia, Pasquale; Manz, Rudolf A.; Habenicht, Andreas J. R. (2016): Artery Tertiary Lymphoid Organs Control Multilayered Territorialized Atherosclerosis B-Cell Responses in Aged ApoE(-/-) Mice. In: Arteriosclerosis thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Vol. 36, No. 6: pp. 1174-1185
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Objective-Explore aorta B-cell immunity in aged apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice. Approach and Results-Transcript maps, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, immunofluorescence analyses, cell transfers, and Ig-ELISPOT (enzyme-linked immunospot) assays showed multilayered atherosclerosis B-cell responses in artery tertiary lymphoid organs (ATLOs). Aging-associated aorta B-cell-related transcriptomes were identified, and transcript atlases revealed highly territorialized B-cell responses in ATLOs versus atherosclerotic lesions: ATLOs showed upregulation of bona fide B-cell genes, including Cd19, Ms4a1 (Cd20), Cd79a/b, and Ighm although intima plaques preferentially expressed molecules involved in non-B effector responses toward B-cell-derived mediators, that is, Fcgr3 (Cd16), Fcer1g (Cd23), and the C1q family. ATLOs promoted B-cell recruitment. ATLO B-2 B cells included naive, transitional, follicular, germinal center, switched IgG1(+), IgA(+), and IgE(+) memory cells, plasmablasts, and long-lived plasma cells. ATLOs recruited large numbers of B-1 cells whose subtypes were skewed toward interleukin-10(+) B-1b cells versus interleukin-10-B-1a cells. ATLO B-1 cells and plasma cells constitutively produced IgM and IgG and a fraction of plasma cells expressed interleukin-10. Moreover, ApoE(-/-) mice showed increased germinal center B cells in renal lymph nodes, IgM-producing plasma cells in the bone marrow, and higher IgM and anti-MDA-LDL (malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein) IgG serum titers. Conclusions-ATLOs orchestrate dichotomic, territorialized, and multilayered B-cell responses in the diseased aorta;germinal center reactions indicate generation of autoimmune B cells within the diseased arterial wall during aging.