Molecular cues involved in the regulation of B cell dynamics: Assistants of antigen hunting

Abstract

The ability of a cell to migrate, adhere, and change its morphology is determinant in developing its functions; these capacities reach their maximum relevance in immune cells. For an efficient immune response, immune cells must localize in the right place at the right time; that implies crossing tissue barriers and migrating in the interstitial space of the tissues at high velocities. The dependency on trafficking abilities is even higher for B cells, one of the arms of the adaptive immune system, considering that they must encounter specific antigens for their clonal receptor in the enormous tissue volume of the secondary lymphoid organs (spleen, lymph nodes, Peyer patches). The regulated interplay between cell motility and cell adhesion allows B cells to reach distinct lymphoid tissues and, within them, to explore the stromal cell networks where antigen might be exposed. In this meeting‐invited review, I summarize the current knowledge on the molecular cues and mechanisms that shapes B cell dynamics at the initial phase of the humoral immune response, including homeostatic chemoattractants and innate/inflammatory stimuli. I also revised the B cell behavior alterations caused by BCR recognition of antigen and the molecular mechanisms involved.

WAVE2 Regulates Actin-Dependent Processes Induced by the B Cell Antigen Receptor and Integrins

“…The interaction of B cells with APCs is initiated by the binding of the LFA-1 (α L β 2 ) and VLA-4 (α 4 β 1 ) integrins to ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, respectively, on the APC surface [74]. Subsequent integrin signaling enhances the ability of B cells to spread across Ag-bearing surfaces, allowing the B cell to encounter more Ag, thereby increasing BCR signaling.…”