Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE85205: Expansion of an FCRL5+ B cell subset resembling atypical memory B cells in an animal model of malaria

Bulk RNA sequencing

Background: In human malaria, parasites of the genus Plasmodium elicit expansion of atypical memory B cells (atMBCs), which lack the classical markers CD21 and CD27. We have identified a putative population of analogous B cells in a murine model of infection with P. chabaudi, delineated by the marker FCRL5. We performed RNA-Seq on FCRL5+ and FCRL5- B cells sorted from infected mice, so as to characterize the transcriptional profile of these cells and permit comparison to atMBCs in humans.; Results: FCRL5+ B cells were found to have distinct transcriptional profiles from FCRL5- B cells, with approximately 400 genes exhibiting significant differences between the two groups. Additionally, about 25% of these differentially expressed genes were also differentially expressed in human atMBCs versus classical MBCs, as previously described by Sullivan et al (PLoS Pathogens 2015).; Conclusions: FCRL5+ class-switched B cells are a transcriptionally distinct subset arising in P. chabaudi infection, with transcriptional similarities to human atMBCs that develop in chronic malaria settings. SOURCE: Charlie Kim (cckim47@gmail.com) - Kim University of California, San Francisco