Single cell analysis of the affinity and fate of <em>plasmodium</em> <em>falciparum</em> specific B cells — ASN Events

Single cell analysis of the affinity and fate of plasmodium falciparum specific B cells (#382)

Henry J Sutton 1 , Auda Eltahla Eltahla 2 , Hayley A McNamara 1 , Yeping Cai 1 , Simone Rizzetto 2 , Fabio Lucinani 2 , Ian A Cockburn 1
  1. Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  2. Systems Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

After contact with antigen, a B cell will activate and undergo clonal expansion. These clones can then differentiate into at least two distinct effector cell fates: follicular germinal centre (GC) B cells or extra follicular plasmablasts (PB). The factors that regulate this fate decision are poorly understood, however data generated in model antigen systems, such as switch HEL suggest that BCR affinity to antigen may play a role. We have developed a system using the Circumsporozoite Protein (CSP), a major vaccine candidate against the Plasmodium parasite, to test the relationship between BCR affinity and B cell fate. Utilising novel B cell tetramer probes, we are able to sort and sequence single, antigen specific PB’s and GC B cells using single cell RNA sequencing protocols. This yields unbiased data on how the cells have differentiated and their BCR heavy and light chain sequences. Using this information it is then possible to recreate the CSP specific BCRs and measure binding to CSP using classical ELISA and binding to parasites using a newly developed flow assay. Combining these techniques with transcriptomic data generated from single cell RNAseq we hope to develop a greater understanding of the mechanisms that drive B cell fate differentiation and the role that BCR affinity may play.

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