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Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation
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Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation

Published on: June 1, 2019

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B Cells Adapt Their Nuclear Morphology to Organize the Immune Synapse and Facilitate Antigen Extraction

Romina Ulloa1, Oreste Corrales1, Fernanda Cabrera-Reyes1

  • 1Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Frontiers in Immunology
|February 28, 2022
PubMed

Insights

B cells adapt nuclear shape and position to form immune synapses for antigen extraction. Nuclear envelope proteins Nesprin-1 and Sun-1 are crucial for this process, ensuring proper B cell activation.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • B cells form immune synapses to extract antigens.
  • Nuclear morphology's role in B cell immune synapse formation was previously unaddressed.
  • Actin remodeling and microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) positioning are key to antigen extraction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of nuclear morphology and positioning in B cell immune synapse formation.
  • To determine the involvement of nuclear envelope proteins Nesprin-1 and Sun-1 in B cell activation.

Main Methods:

  • Studied B cell activation and immune synapse formation.
  • Utilized gene silencing of nuclear envelope proteins Nesprin-1 and Sun-1.
  • Analyzed actin organization, MTOC and lysosome positioning, and B cell receptor (BCR) internalization.

Main Results:

  • Activated B cells re-orient and groove their nuclei towards the immune synapse.
  • Silencing Nesprin-1 and Sun-1 impaired nuclear reorientation and actin organization.
  • Nesprin-1 and Sun-1-silenced B cells showed defective Exo70 accumulation, lysosome positioning, and BCR internalization, hindering antigen extraction.

Conclusions:

  • Nuclear morphology and positioning are critical for coordinating B cell activation.
  • Nesprin-1 and Sun-1 play essential roles in regulating nuclear adaptation during immune synapse formation.
  • Defects in nuclear positioning impair B cell antigen uptake and activation efficiency.

Keywords:
B cellsNesprin-1Sun-1actin cytoskeletonimmune synapsenuclear morphology

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