B-cell subsets in blood and lymphoid organs in Macaca fascicularis

Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) are widely used animal models in biomedical research. However, the phenotypic characteristics of cynomolgus monkey (CM) B cells in peripheral blood (PB) and lymphoid organs are poorly understood.

FACS analyses of PB-, spleen-, lymph node (LN)-, and bone marrow (BM)-derived B cells were performed.

CM peripheral blood B cells have a smaller fraction of CD27(-) (naive) cells ( approximately 40%), as compared to human blood samples ( approximately 70%). Similar to humans, an early activation marker, CD23, is expressed more on CD27(-) CM naive B cells, as compared to CD27(+) B cells. The mean fraction of B cells exhibiting a memory phenotype is similar to that seen in human blood. Unlike humans, CM blood contains a subset of CD20(++)CD80(+)CD21(-)IgM(+/-)CD27(+)CD19(+)FSC(++)BAFF-R(low) B cells that are likely of germinal center origin. Thus, CM blood contains (i) a higher percentage of B cells that express the co-stimulatory molecule CD80, and (ii) a lower fraction of B cells that are CD21(+), as compared to human blood. Due to the relative paucity of information on B-cell subsets in organs of healthy humans, a direct comparison between human and CM lymphoid organ data is limited. The fraction of CD27(+) and CD23(+) B cells appears to be similar, while the fraction of CD80(+) B cells appears to be higher than that seen in human lymphoid organs. CM spleens and to some extent lymph nodes have a distinct subset of CD21(++) cells that are also CD80(+/-)CD23(low)IgM(++)CD27(+/-)FSC(++). This subset is phenotypically similar to the marginal zone B cells present in human spleen and LN samples. We also provide detailed analyses on the fraction of lymphoid organ B cells that express CD21, CD23, CD32, and/or CD80 B-cell markers.

In general, cynomolgus monkey B-cell subsets are similar to those seen in humans, as well as to those seen in other nonhuman primates. However, there are some clear differences between human and cynomolgus monkey B-cell subsets. These findings have direct implications for a variety of in vivo studies in cynomolgus monkeys, ranging from basic research on primate B-cell differentiation to models of infectious diseases and trials of new B-cell targeting therapeutic agents.