Modulating immunological memory of antibody-producing cells

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19539
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Pathology, Infection/Immunology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: TAKAI Toshiyuki 東北大学, 加齢医学研究所, 教授 (20187917)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 免疫記憶 / 免疫寛容・自己免疫 / 免疫シグナル伝達 / 炎症 / 免疫制御・移植免疫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We established an experimental system composed of culturing murine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and plasma cells (PC) in vitro and monitoring antibody production levels after the 7-day culture. We found that the antibody production by PC was influenced by IL-6 and other soluble factors secreted by MSC and unidentified direct interaction between MSC and PC. We also suggested that the direct interaction involves binding between an immunoregulatory receptor LILRB4 (B4) on PC and a novel B4 ligand, B4L1, expressed on MSC.

Free Research Field

免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自然感染やワクチン接種により得られる終生免疫ないし長期的な免疫の維持機構はよくわかっていない。況や，この免疫記憶の調節技術も開発されていない。免疫記憶の維持が行われている場は主に骨髄と考えられ，骨髄中での抗体産生細胞由来の記憶細胞と骨髄中の細胞の相互作用に着目して得られた本研究成果は抗体産生の維持機構，免疫記憶の機構を理解し，その維持，改変技術の開発に向けた基盤となるもので，よりよいワクチン開発に資するものである。