In order to fulfil the special requirements of antigen-specific activation and communication with other immune cells, B lymphocytes require finely regulated endosomal vesicle trafficking. How the endosomal machinery is regulated in B cells remains largely unexplored. In our previous proximity proteomic screen, we identified the SNARE protein Vti1b as one of the strongest candidates getting accumulated to the sites of early BCR activation. In this report, we follow up on this finding and investigate the localisation and function of Vti1b in B cells. We found that GFP-fused Vti1b was concentrated at the Golgi complex, around the MTOC, as well as in the Rab7+ lysosomal vesicles in the cell periphery. Upon BCR activation with soluble antigen, Vti1b showed partial localization to the internalized antigen vesicles, especially in the periphery of the cell. Moreover, upon BCR activation using surface-bound antigen, Vti1b polarised to the immunological synapse, colocalising with the Golgi complex, and with lysosomes at actin foci. To test for a functional role of Vti1b in early B cell activation, we used primary B cells isolated from Vit1b-deficient mouse. However, we found no functional defects in BCR signalling, immunological synapse formation, or processing and presentation of the internalized antigen, suggesting that the loss of Vti1b in B cells could be compensated by its close homologue Vti1a or other SNAREs.

Successful B cell activation, critical for high-affinity antibody production, is controlled by the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). However, we still lack a comprehensive protein-level view of the very dynamic multi-branched cellular events triggered by antigen binding. Here, we employed APEX2 proximity biotinylation to study antigen-induced changes, 5-15 min after receptor activation, at the vicinity of the plasma membrane lipid rafts, wherein BCR enriches upon activation. The data reveals dynamics of signaling proteins, as well as various players linked to the subsequent processes, such as actin cytoskeleton remodelling and endocytosis. Interestingly, our differential expression analysis identified dynamic responses in various proteins previously not linked to early B cell activation. We demonstrate active SUMOylation at the sites of BCR activation in various conditions and report its functional role in BCR signaling through Akt and MAPK axes.

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