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B cell subsets contribute to myocardial protection by inducing neutrophil apoptosis after ischemia and reperfusion
Fangyang Huang, Jialiang Zhang, Hao Zhou, Tianyi Qu, Yan Wang, Kexin Jiang, Yutong Liu, Yuanning Xu, Mao Chen, Li Chen
Fangyang Huang, Jialiang Zhang, Hao Zhou, Tianyi Qu, Yan Wang, Kexin Jiang, Yutong Liu, Yuanning Xu, Mao Chen, Li Chen
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Research Article Cardiology Immunology

B cell subsets contribute to myocardial protection by inducing neutrophil apoptosis after ischemia and reperfusion

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Abstract

A robust, sterile inflammation underlies myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury (MIRI). Several subsets of B cells possess the immunoregulatory capacity that limits tissue damage, yet the role of B cells in MIRI remains elusive. Here, we sought to elucidate the contribution of B cells to MIRI by transient ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in B cell–depleted or –deficient mice. Following ischemia and reperfusion (I/R), regulatory B cells are rapidly recruited to the heart. B cell–depleted or –deficient mice exhibited exacerbated tissue damage, adverse cardiac remodeling, and an augmented inflammatory response after I/R. Rescue and chimeric experiments indicated that the cardioprotective effect of B cells was not solely dependent on IL-10. Coculture experiments demonstrated that B cells induced neutrophil apoptosis through contact-dependent interactions, subsequently promoting reparative macrophage polarization by facilitating the phagocytosis of neutrophils by macrophages. The in vivo cardioprotective effect of B cells was undetectable in the absence of neutrophils after I/R. Mechanistically, ligand-receptor imputation identified FCER2A as a potential mediator of interactions between B cells and neutrophils. Blocking FCER2A on B cells resulted in a reduction in the percentage of apoptotic neutrophils, contributing to the deterioration of cardiac remodeling. Our findings unveil a potential cardioprotective role of B cells in MIRI through mechanisms involving FCER2A, neutrophils, and macrophages.

Authors

Fangyang Huang, Jialiang Zhang, Hao Zhou, Tianyi Qu, Yan Wang, Kexin Jiang, Yutong Liu, Yuanning Xu, Mao Chen, Li Chen

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Figure 2

Selective B cell depletion accentuated tissue damage and deteriorated cardiac remodeling and cardiac function after myocardial I/R.

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Selective B cell depletion accentuated tissue damage and deteriorated ca...
(A) Representative images of H&E staining of heart slices in all groups. Scale bars: 50 μm. (B) Damage score evaluation of heart slice from mice with or without B cell depletion 1 day after myocardial I/R. (C) The measurement of serum troponin I in each group 1 day after MIRI. (D and E) Representative photos of TUNEL staining of heart slices and quantification in each group. Scale bar: 50 μm. (F) Scar size 14 days after myocardial I/R. Tissue slices were stained with Masson’s trichrome. Scale bars: 1000 μm. The infarct size was determined by calculating the ratio of the collagen area to the left ventricular area. (G) Representative M-mode echocardiography 14 days after myocardial I/R. (H) Measurement of LVIDd, LVIDs, LVEF, LVEDV, LVID, and LVFS in each group. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; ****P < 0.0001 by unpaired, 2-tailed t test (B, E, and F) or 1-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (C and H). BD, B cell depletion; I/R, ischemia and reperfusion; LVIDd, left ventricular diastolic dimension; LVIDs, left ventricular systolic dimension; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; LVFS, left ventricular fractional shortening; TUNEL, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated nick-end labeling.

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ISSN 2379-3708

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