AUTHOR=Daugan Matthieu , Murira Armstrong , Mindt Barbara C. , Germain Amélie , Tarrab Esther , Lapierre Pascal , Fritz Jörg H. , Lamarre Alain TITLE=Type I Interferon Impairs Specific Antibody Responses Early during Establishment of LCMV Infection JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=7 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2016.00564 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2016.00564 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Elicitation of type I interferon (IFN-I) has been shown to both enhance and impair cell-mediated immune responses in acute and persistent viral infections, respectively. Here, we show that, in addition to its effect on T cells, IFN-I drives impairment of specific antibody responses through interaction with B cells in the acute phase of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. This impairment was limited to the T cell-dependent B cell response and was associated with disruption of B cell follicles, development of hypergammaglobulinemia (HGG), and expansion of the T follicular helper cell population. Antigen-specific antibody responses were restored by ablation of IFN-I signaling through antibody-mediated IFN-I receptor blockade and B cell-specific IFN-I receptor knockout. Importantly, IFN-I receptor deficiency in B cells also accelerated the development of LCMV neutralizing antibodies and alleviated HGG. These results provide a potential therapeutic target toward efficient treatment measures that limit immunopathology in persistent viral infections.