Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2002

Publication Title

Journal of Clinical Investigation

Department

Geisel School of Medicine

Abstract

Agonistic αCD40 Ab’s have been shown to be potent immune adjuvants for both cell- and humoral-mediated immunity. While enhancing short-lived humoral immunity, the administration of a CD40 agonist during thymus-dependent immune responses ablates germinal center formation, prematurely terminates the humoral immune response, blocks the generation of B cell memory, and prevents the generation of long-lived bone marrow plasma cells. Interestingly, some of these effects of heightened CD40 engagement could be mimicked by enhancing the magnitude of antigen-specific T cell help. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that as the magnitude of CD40 signaling intensifies, the fate of antigen-reactive B cells can be dramatically altered. These are the first studies to describe the multifaceted function of CD40 in determining the fate of antigen-reactive B cells and provide novel insights into how CD40 agonists can short-circuit humoral immunity.

DOI

10.1172/JCI14110

Original Citation

Erickson LD, Durell BG, Vogel LA, et al. Short-circuiting long-lived humoral immunity by the heightened engagement of CD40. J Clin Invest. 2002;109(5):613-620. doi:10.1172/JCI14110

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