B Cell Receptor Repertoire Analysis in Malaria-Naive and Malaria-Experienced Individuals Reveals Unique Characteristics of Atypical Memory B Cells
Ashley E. Braddom, Sebastiaan Bol, S. Jake Gonzales, Raphael A. Reyes, Kenneth Musinguzi, Felistas Nankya, Isaac Ssewanyana, Bryan Greenhouse, Evelien M. Bunnik
Abstract
will help inform vaccination development efforts. We found differences in B cell receptor (BCR) properties of atMBCs between malaria-naive and malaria-experienced adults that are suggestive of divergent selection processes, resulting in more somatic hypermutation and differential immunoglobulin heavy chain V (IGHV) gene usage. Despite these differences, atMBCs from malaria-naive and malaria-experienced adults also showed many similarities in BCR characteristics, such as physicochemical properties of the HCDR3 region, suggesting that atMBCs undergo similar differentiation pathways in response to different pathogens. Our study provides new insights into the effects of malaria experience on the B cell compartment and the relationships between atMBCs and other B cell populations.