Lymphocyte-derived cholinergic circuits modulate germinal center output and B cell activation - PubMed

5 hours ago

Germinal centers (GCs) are specialized lymphoid structures where B cells undergo clonal selection and somatic hypermutation to produce high-affinity antibodies.
T cells expressing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) are linked to high-affinity antibody production in GCs, but the role of ChAT in GC B cells was unclear.
The study shows that Chat expression in GC B cells aids early accumulation of high-affinity B cells after antigen exposure.
Key transcriptional regulators of Chat in GC B cells were identified, and ACh receptor (AChR) expression is dynamically coordinated during B cell activation.
In vitro, acetylcholine (ACh) binding to muscarinic AChRs limits plasma cell differentiation and dampens BCR signaling, fine-tuning affinity-based selection.
The findings reveal a new cholinergic regulatory axis in early GC selection, influencing B cell fate and humoral immunity.

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