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Reyes RA, Turner L, Ssewanyana I, Jagannathan P, Feeney ME, Lavstsen T, Greenhouse B, Bol S, Bunnik EM. Differences in phenotype between long-lived memory B cells against Plasmodium falciparum merozoite antigens and variant surface antigens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.01.596978. [PMID: 38895251 PMCID: PMC11185507 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.01.596978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum infections elicit strong humoral immune responses to two main groups of antigens expressed by blood-stage parasites: merozoite antigens that are involved in the erythrocyte invasion process and variant surface antigens that mediate endothelial sequestration of infected erythrocytes. Long-lived B cells against both antigen classes can be detected in the circulation for years after exposure, but have not been directly compared. Here, we studied the phenotype of long-lived memory and atypical B cells to merozoite antigens (MSP1 and AMA1) and variant surface antigens (the CIDRα1 domain of PfEMP1) in Ugandan adults before and after local reduction of P. falciparum transmission. After a median of 1.7 years without P. falciparum infections, the percentage of antigen-specific activated B cells declined, but long-lived antigen-specific B cells were still detectable in all individuals. The majority of MSP1/AMA1-specific B cells were CD95+CD11c+ memory B cells, which are primed for rapid differentiation into antibody-secreting cells, and FcRL5-T-bet- atypical B cells. On the other hand, most CIDRα1-specific B cells were CD95-CD11c- memory B cells. CIDRα1-specific B cells were also enriched among a subset of atypical B cells that seem poised for antigen presentation. These results point to differences in how these antigens are recognized or processed by the immune system and how P. falciparum-specific B cells will respond upon re-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael A Reyes
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Louise Turner
- Centre for translational Medicine & Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Righospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Prasanna Jagannathan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Margaret E. Feeney
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Lavstsen
- Centre for translational Medicine & Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Righospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bryan Greenhouse
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sebastiaan Bol
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Evelien M Bunnik
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Reyes RA, Batugedara G, Dutta P, Reers AB, Garza R, Ssewanyana I, Jagannathan P, Feeney ME, Greenhouse B, Bol S, Ay F, Bunnik EM. Atypical B cells consist of subsets with distinct functional profiles. iScience 2023; 26:108496. [PMID: 38098745 PMCID: PMC10720271 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Atypical B cells are a population of activated B cells that are commonly enriched in individuals with chronic immune activation but are also part of a normal immune response to infection or vaccination. To better define the role of atypical B cells in the human adaptive immune response, we performed single-cell sequencing of transcriptomes, cell surface markers, and B cell receptors in individuals with chronic exposure to the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, a condition known to lead to accumulation of circulating atypical B cells. We identified three previously uncharacterized populations of atypical B cells with distinct transcriptional and functional profiles and observed marked differences among these three subsets in their ability to produce immunoglobulin G upon T-cell-dependent activation. Our findings help explain the conflicting observations in prior studies regarding the function of atypical B cells and highlight their different roles in the adaptive immune response in chronic inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael A. Reyes
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Gayani Batugedara
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Paramita Dutta
- Centers for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ashley B. Reers
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Rolando Garza
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Isaac Ssewanyana
- Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Prasanna Jagannathan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Margaret E. Feeney
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
| | - Bryan Greenhouse
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
| | - Sebastiaan Bol
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Ferhat Ay
- Centers for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Evelien M. Bunnik
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
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Reers AB, Bautista R, McLellan J, Morales B, Garza R, Bol S, Hanson KK, Bunnik EM. Histone modification analysis reveals common regulators of gene expression in liver and blood stage merozoites of Plasmodium parasites. Epigenetics Chromatin 2023; 16:25. [PMID: 37322481 PMCID: PMC10268464 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-023-00500-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene expression in malaria parasites is subject to various layers of regulation, including histone post-translational modifications (PTMs). Gene regulatory mechanisms have been extensively studied during the main developmental stages of Plasmodium parasites inside erythrocytes, from the ring stage following invasion to the schizont stage leading up to egress. However, gene regulation in merozoites that mediate the transition from one host cell to the next is an understudied area of parasite biology. Here, we sought to characterize gene expression and the corresponding histone PTM landscape during this stage of the parasite lifecycle through RNA-seq and ChIP-seq on P. falciparum blood stage schizonts, merozoites, and rings, as well as P. berghei liver stage merozoites. In both hepatic and erythrocytic merozoites, we identified a subset of genes with a unique histone PTM profile characterized by a region of H3K4me3 depletion in their promoter. These genes were upregulated in hepatic and erythrocytic merozoites and rings, had roles in protein export, translation, and host cell remodeling, and shared a DNA motif. These results indicate that similar regulatory mechanisms may underlie merozoite formation in the liver and blood stages. We also observed that H3K4me2 was deposited in gene bodies of gene families encoding variant surface antigens in erythrocytic merozoites, which may facilitate switching of gene expression between different members of these families. Finally, H3K18me and H2K27me were uncoupled from gene expression and were enriched around the centromeres in erythrocytic schizonts and merozoites, suggesting potential roles in the maintenance of chromosomal organization during schizogony. Together, our results demonstrate that extensive changes in gene expression and histone landscape occur during the schizont-to-ring transition to facilitate productive erythrocyte infection. The dynamic remodeling of the transcriptional program in hepatic and erythrocytic merozoites makes this stage attractive as a target for novel anti-malarial drugs that may have activity against both the liver and blood stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley B Reers
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Rodriel Bautista
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - James McLellan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Beatriz Morales
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Rolando Garza
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Sebastiaan Bol
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Kirsten K Hanson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Evelien M Bunnik
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
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Qerqez AN, Silva RP, Maynard JA. Outsmarting Pathogens with Antibody Engineering. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2023; 14:217-241. [PMID: 36917814 PMCID: PMC10330301 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-101121-084508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
There is growing interest in identifying antibodies that protect against infectious diseases, especially for high-risk individuals and pathogens for which no vaccine is yet available. However, pathogens that manifest as opportunistic or latent infections express complex arrays of virulence-associated proteins and are adept at avoiding immune responses. Some pathogens have developed strategies to selectively destroy antibodies, whereas others create decoy epitopes that trick the host immune system into generating antibodies that are at best nonprotective and at worst enhance pathogenesis. Antibody engineering strategies can thwart these efforts by accessing conserved neutralizing epitopes, generating Fc domains that resist capture or degradation and even accessing pathogens hidden inside cells. Design of pathogen-resistant antibodies can enhance protection and guide development of vaccine immunogens against these complex pathogens. Here, we discuss general strategies for design of antibodies resistant to specific pathogen defense mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam N Qerqez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA;
| | - Rui P Silva
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jennifer A Maynard
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA;
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