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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 5

Selective B cell depletion delayed acute inflammation resolution after MIRI.

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Selective B cell depletion delayed acute inflammation resolution after M...
Mice with or without B cell depletion underwent myocardial I/R, and the hearts were harvested and digested 3 days after MIRI. (A) Flow cytometry was used to determine the levels of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood and heart. (B) Ly6C+ monocytes and neutrophils in peripheral blood, and (C) neutrophils in heart tissue from B cell–depleted and control mice 3 days after MIRI. (D) Representative images of immunofluorescence of Ly6G+ neutrophils in heart sections from sham-operated, B cell–depleted, and control mice 3 days after MIRI (n = 6 mice per group). Scale bars: 50 μm. (E) Gating strategy and flow cytometry–based quantification of the number and ratio of CD45+CD11b+Ly6G–F4/80+Ly6Chi and CD45+CD11b+Ly6G–F4/80+Ly6Clo monocytes/macrophages (Mo/MΦ) on day 3 following I/R in control and B cell–depleted mice. The experiments were independently replicated twice. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, ****P < 0.001 by unpaired, 2-tailed t test. BD, B cell depletion; I/R, ischemia and reperfusion.

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