Fig. 1
From: Germinal center entry not selection of B cells is controlled by peptide-MHCII complex density
MHCII haploinsufficiency supports normal GC kinetics and affinity maturation. MHCII+/+ (black circles) and MHCII+/− (red triangles) mice were immunized i.p. with 20 µg of NP-OVA in alum (a, c, d, e). a MHCII expression on MF B, GC B, LZ GC B, and DZ GC B cells harvested as indicated post immunization. b B1-8.MHCII+/+ and B1-8.MHCII+/− mice were immunized in the footpad with 20 µg NP-SA-Eα in alum. Cells from popliteal LNs were analyzed at 16 h. Representative flow plots of IgD expression and NP binding on B220+ cells from naïve and immunized B1-8.MHCII+/+ mice and immunized B1-8.MHCII+/− mice are shown. Contour plots and histograms representing MHCII expression and Y-Ae-binding (Eα peptide:MHCII complex) on IgDlowNP+B220+ cells from B1-8.MHCII+/+ (black) and B1-8.MHCII+/− (red) mice. Lower panels show MHCII expression as MFI (left) and Y-Ae-binding (right) in B-cell compartments. c Kinetics of GC responses in immunized MHCII+/+ and MHCII+/− mice (n = 2–5 for both strains at each time point; mean ±S.D.). d Kinetics of serum IgG responses (top, NIP2-binding IgG; bottom, NP2-binding IgG) in MHCII+/+ and MHCII+/− mice. IgG concentrations were determined in a Luminex assay in reference to mAb H33Lγ1. Each point represents a single mouse with means (±S.D.) indicated. e Single-cell, Nojima cultures for day 8 GC B cells; NIP25-, NIP2- and NP2-specific AvIn values (relative to mAb H33Lγ1) are shown22. Each point represents one IgG+ clonal culture (n = 45–187); boxes represent the 25th, 75th percentiles and median. Bars (blue) indicate the geometric means ±S.D. Statistical significance (P < 0.05) was measured by the Mann–Whitney U test
