An "unconventional" immune response now identified by scientists from the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) is a potential new pathway for developing new vaccines for tuberculosis (TB), according to a new publication. Marginal zone B (MZB) cells are a natural response to TB infection which has been long overlooked - and which might be a welcome new target that could be bolstered through new vaccines to better combat and prevent the disease, according to the new publication in the journal Cell Reports . "Our results indicate that B cells skew their immune landscape toward MZB cells to execute regulatory functions against TB, emphasizing the importance of antibody-independent mechanisms of B cells for controlling infectious disease, a previously neglected mechanism," write the authors.
Using high-dimensional flow cytometry, the team mapped the progress of infection in an animal model. They showed that B cells shifted their immune landscape toward the MZB cells. Through detailed tracking of this shift, the MZB cells showed higher activity and memory-like phenotype expression in response to the infection.
In turn, that shaped cytokine patterns and then boosted cell-mediated immunity. "This discovery opens a new avenue in TB vaccine development, suggesting that targeting B cells for their regulatory functions could be a promising new strategy," the authors add. The paper's authors were led by CDI scientists: Chen-Yu Tsai Ph.
D., Ariel Aptekmann, Ph.D.
Th.