Identification and characterization of teleost plasma cells

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21158
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H06019 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0603:Forestry and forest products science, applied aquatic science, and related fields
• Research Institution: Fukui Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Takizawa Fumio 福井県立大学, 海洋生物資源学部, 准教授 (60822913)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 抗体 / 形質細胞 / B細胞 / ニジマス / 魚類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Vaccine is a fundamental component of disease prevention in aquaculture and is thought to work by inducing antibody capable of binding specifically to a pathogen. Plasma cells are main antibody-producing cells, which arise from B cells upon antigen stimulation. To isolate and characterize teleost plasma cells, we developed novel and reliable method to identify plasma cells in rainbow trout by using anti-trout IgM and anti-trout IgD antibodies in combination with cell size and endoplasmic reticulum. The plasma-like cells identified in this research exhibit dense nucleus and voluminous cytoplasm, characteristic morphology in human plasma cells. Moreover, they expressed high Blimp1 transcripts while low Pax5 transcripts, a master regulator of plasma cells and mature B cells, respectively. Thus, these findings revealed that teleost plasma cells possess characters similar to those in human and provide useful methods to identify plasma cells in teleost fish.

Free Research Field

魚類免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

魚類のB細胞から形質細胞への分化機構はほとんど分かっておらず、ワクチン投与魚においても主要な抗体産生である形質細胞が誘導されているか分かっていない。そこで本研究は、ニジマスを用いて魚類の形質細胞の同定法を発見し、ヒトの形質細胞と同様な特徴を有していることを明らかにしたものである。本研究成果により、魚類におけるB細胞から形質細胞への分化機構の解析やワクチン投与魚における形質細胞の動態を調べることが可能になり、より効果的な水産用ワクチンの開発に貢献できる。