Distinct microbial and immune niches of the human colon.

Gastrointestinal microbiota and immune cells interact closely and display regional specificity; however, little is known about how these communities differ with location. Here, we simultaneously assess microbiota and single immune cells across the healthy, adult human colon, with paired characterization of immune cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes, to delineate colonic immune niches at steady state. We describe distinct helper T cell activation and migration profiles along the colon and characterize the transcriptional adaptation trajectory of regulatory T cells between lymphoid tissue and colon. Finally, we show increasing B cell accumulation, clonal expansion and mutational frequency from the cecum to the sigmoid colon and link this to the increasing number of reactive bacterial species

Investigating the phenotype and function of tissue-resident B cells in mouse and human non-lymphoid organs

B lymphocytes play a central role in humoral immunity but also have antibody-independent functions. Studies to date have focused on B cells within blood and secondary lymphoid organs. This thesis sought to address the question of whether B cells reside in non-lymphoid organs (NLOs), and to determine their phenotype and function. Using intravenous labelling and parabiosis, we identified a population of bona-fide self-renewing, tissue-resident B cells, represented mainly by innate-like CD5+ B-1 cells, across murine NLOs, including lung, liver, kidney and bladder. The size and phenotype of this tissue-resident B-cell subset was influenced by genetic background, age and the microbiome, with an expanded population evident in pet-store mice. Extravascular B cells had less diverse Igh repertoire with fewer N-additions compared to blood, suggesting their prenatal origin. Seeding of these B cells into NLOs was independent of their antigen specificity. Using strains of genetically modified mice with higher (PI3Kδ E1020K-B, Siglec-G-/-) or lower (μMT-) numbers of tissue-resident B cells in NLOs, we tested the function of these cells in the context of urinary tract infection. The number of tissue-resident B cells inversely correlated with bacterial clearance suggesting that B cells negatively regulate anti-microbial responses. Tissue-resident B cells were spatially co-localised with macrophages and had a profound effect on macrophage polarisation, promoting an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, an effect at least partially driven via interleukin (IL)-10. Finally, in human NLOs we found a similar enrichment for non-naïve less diverse B cells when compared to blood and spleen, with indices for innate-like and regulatory phenotype. In conclusion, these data identify a critical role for tissue-resident B cells in modulating organ immunity, determining inflammatory 'set-point' of resident and recruited myeloid cells, with important clinical implications.Wellcome Trus

Tissue-resident B cells orchestrate macrophage polarisation and function

B cells play a central role in humoral immunity but also have antibody-independent functions. Studies to date have focused on B cells in blood and secondary lymphoid organs but whether B cells reside in non lymphoid organs (NLO) in homeostasis is unknown. Here we identify, using intravenous labeling and parabiosis, a bona-fide tissue-resident B cell population in lung, liver, kidney and urinary bladder, a substantial proportion of which are B-1a cells. Tissue-resident B cells are present in neonatal tissues and also in germ free mice NLOs, albeit in lower numbers than in specific pathogen-free mice and following co-housing with ‘pet-store’ mice. They spatially co-localise with macrophages and regulate their polarization and function, promoting an anti-inflammatory phenotype, in-part via interleukin-10 production, with effects on bacterial clearance during urinary tract infection. Thus, our data reveal a critical role for tissue-resident B cells in determining the homeostatic ‘inflammatory set-point’ of myeloid cells, with important consequences for tissue immunity

Homeostatic role of B-1 cells in tissue immunity.

Peer reviewed: TrueTo date, studies of tissue-resident immunity have mainly focused on innate immune cells and T cells, with limited data on B cells. B-1 B cells are a unique subset of B cells with innate-like properties, enriched in murine pleural and peritoneal cavities and distinct from conventional B-2 cells in their ontogeny, phenotype and function. Here we discuss how B-1 cells represent exemplar tissue-resident immune cells, summarizing the evidence for their long-term persistence & self-renewal within tissues, differential transcriptional programming shaped by organ-specific environmental cues, as well as their tissue-homeostatic functions. Finally, we review the emerging data supporting the presence and homeostatic role of B-1 cells across non-lymphoid organs (NLOs) both in mouse and human

Tissue-resident B cells orchestrate macrophage polarisation and function

Acknowledgements: The Clatworthy Lab is based in the University of Cambridge Molecular Immunity Unit in the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and is grateful for the use of the core facilities. O.S. was supported by the Wellcome PhD Clinical Training Fellowship 205250/Z/16/Z and National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) clinical lectureship. S.C. and K.H. were supported by Wellcome Trust Research grant 206194. J.R.F. and M.R.C. were funded by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit. M.R.C. was also supported by a Medical Research Council New Investigator Research Grant MR/N024907/1, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Human Cell Atlas Technology Development Grant, Versus Arthritis Cure Challenge Research Grant (21777) and NIHR Research Professorship RP-2017-08-ST2-002. We thank Drs Carl Anderson and Velislava Petrova (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK) for support and useful discussions around BCR analysis. This work was performed, in part, using resources provided by the Cambridge Service for Data Driven Discovery (CSD3) operated by the University of Cambridge Research Computing Service (www.csd3.cam.ac.uk), provided by Dell EMC and Intel using Tier-2 funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (capital grant EP/P020259/1), and DiRAC funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (www.dirac.ac.uk).B cells play a central role in humoral immunity but also have antibody-independent functions. Studies to date have focused on B cells in blood and secondary lymphoid organs but whether B cells reside in non lymphoid organs (NLO) in homeostasis is unknown. Here we identify, using intravenous labeling and parabiosis, a bona-fide tissue-resident B cell population in lung, liver, kidney and urinary bladder, a substantial proportion of which are B-1a cells. Tissue-resident B cells are present in neonatal tissues and also in germ free mice NLOs, albeit in lower numbers than in specific pathogen-free mice and following co-housing with ‘pet-store’ mice. They spatially co-localise with macrophages and regulate their polarization and function, promoting an anti-inflammatory phenotype, in-part via interleukin-10 production, with effects on bacterial clearance during urinary tract infection. Thus, our data reveal a critical role for tissue-resident B cells in determining the homeostatic ‘inflammatory set-point’ of myeloid cells, with important consequences for tissue immunity

Use of rituximab in SARS-CoV-2-positive renal transplant recipient with EBV reactivation and probable haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

We present a case of a rapid clinical recovery in a critically ill kidney transplant recipient with SARS-CoV-2 positivity, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation and probable secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) treated with etoposide-free regimen, based on dexamethasone and a single dose of rituximab. Although rituximab is often a part of EBV-HLH treatment strategy, its use in simultaneous Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) and solid-organ transplantation has not been reported yet. We review the current evidence for the potential of SARS-CoV-2 to trigger EBV reactivation, leading to a severe clinical illness. Finally, we compare the clinical features of hyper-inflammatory response typical for severe COVID-19 and classical secondary HLH and discuss the benefits of therapeutic B-cell depletion in both conditions