Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Generation of Human CD40-activated B cells
Published on: October 17, 2009
Dendritic cell-B-cell interaction: dendritic cells provide B cells with CD40-independent proliferation signals and
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
Insights
Dendritic cells (DCs) promote B-cell proliferation and survival, independent of CD40. However, B-cell proliferation was enhanced without CD40, and survival signals were reduced in its absence.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for initiating adaptive immune responses.
- DCs capture and present antigens to B cells, influencing antibody production.
- T-cell help is essential for antibody production, but DCs provide other signals independently.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of CD40 in DC-mediated B-cell proliferation and survival.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which DCs influence B-cell responses.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wild-type (WT) and CD40 knockout (CD40KO) mice.
- Co-cultured B cells and DCs from WT and CD40KO mice.
- Assessed B-cell proliferation and viability after co-culture.
Main Results:
- DCs initiate B-cell proliferation independently of CD40.
- B-cell proliferation was greater in the absence of CD40.
- DCs provide survival signals to B cells, but this was reduced when CD40 was absent.
Conclusions:
- CD40 is not required for DC-induced B-cell proliferation.
- CD40 plays a role in DC-mediated B-cell survival.
- DCs provide essential signals for B-cell function, with CD40 modulating these effects.
Abstract:
Dendritic cells (DC) have recently been shown to play an important role in B-cell function. We have previously shown that DC can capture and retain unprocessed antigen in vitro and in vivo, and can transfer this antigen to naive B cells to initiate antigen-specific antibody responses. We also demonstrated that DC were providing B cells with isotype-switch signals independent of T cells but that T-cell help was essential for antibody production. In this study, using B cells and DC from wild type (WT) and CD40 knockout (CD40KO) mice we show that DC initiate proliferation of B cells independently of CD40, because WT or CD40KO DC could induce proliferation of WT or CD40KO B cells, but proliferation was greater in the absence of CD40. DC also provide B cells with survival signals as WT DC improved viability of B cells after a 5-day culture but survival was reduced in the absence of CD40 expression.
Related Concept Videos
01:40Cell-mediated Immune Responses
01:19Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
01:22T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
01:24T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
01:27Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
01:24B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...