Open AccessV H gene‐family representation in peripheral activated B cells from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients
Author(s) -
DEMAISON C.,
DAVID D.,
FAUTREL B.,
THEZE J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2249.1996.56763.x
Subject(s) - biology , antibody , b cell , systemic lupus erythematosus , immunology , autoantibody , microbiology and biotechnology , polyclonal antibodies , idiotype , antigen , medicine , monoclonal antibody , disease , pathology
A semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay described in this study has been used to analyse the V H 1, V H 3 and V H 4 repertoire expressed by total IgM + and IgG + B cells from normal individuals and lupus patients. This approach consists of a combination of B cell selection, utilization of the anchored PCR technique to avoid technical bias in the amplification of different V H gene family cDNA templates, and screening of the amplified IgM or IgG cDNA rearrangements by family‐specific oligonucleotide probes. In four lupus patients, V H family representation in IgM + and IgG + in vivo activated B cells, selected by anti‐CD71 antibody, and in total CD19 + B cells were compared. In all patients, V H 4 gene family segments were preferentially underrepresented in IgM + activated B cells. In IgG + B cells the results suggest that V H 4 expression is variable, depending on the phase of the disease. Polyclonal B cell activation, which is usually considered as being the first event in autoantibody production in SLE, cannot explain our results. The data evoke the possible involvement of a V H 4‐specific B cell superantigen in the onset or development of SLE. This hypothesis is also supported by the sequence conservation of the fourth β loop—a putative superantigen binding site—of functional V H 4 gene segments which are preferentially used by anti‐dsDNA lupus antibodies of established clones and hybridomas.