BIOSS
Centre for Biological Signalling Studies

Caveolin-1-dependent nanoscale organization of the BCR regulates B cell tolerance

Minguet S, Kläsener K, Schaffer AM, Fiala GJ, Osteso-Ibánez T, Raute K, Navarro-Lérida I, Hartl FA, Seidl M, Reth M, Del Pozo MA.

Nat Immunol. 2017;18(10):1150-1159

Nat Immunol.          online article

 

 

Caveolin-1 (Cav1) regulates the nanoscale organization and compartmentalization of the plasma membrane. Here we found that Cav1 controlled the distribution of nanoclusters of isotype-specific B cell antigen receptors (BCRs) on the surface of B cells. In mature B cells stimulated with antigen, the immunoglobulin M BCR (IgM-BCR) gained access to lipid domains enriched for GM1 glycolipids, by a process that was dependent on the phosphorylation of Cav1 by the Src family of kinases. Antigen-induced reorganization of nanoclusters of IgM-BCRs and IgD-BCRs regulated BCR signaling in vivo. In immature Cav1-deficient B cells, altered nanoscale organization of IgM-BCRs resulted in a failure of receptor editing and a skewed repertoire of B cells expressing immunoglobulin-μ heavy chains with hallmarks of poly- and auto-reactivity, which ultimately led to autoimmunity in mice. Thus, Cav1 emerges as a cell-intrinsic regulator that prevents B cell-induced autoimmunity by means of its role in plasma-membrane organization.