Postnatal liver B cell precursors contribute to the establishment of a mature B cell pool in secondary lymphoid organs in mice
The liver contains a diverse repertoire of leukocytes, with liver B cells representing a significant population of hepatic immune cells in both newborns and adults. Despite their importance, these cells remain largely unexplored. In this study, we comprehensively characterized liver B cells from newborns through adulthood in both humans and mice applying a combination of in vivo imaging, immunophenotyping, RNA sequencing, and cell transfer protocols to characterize hepatic B cell subtypes from birth to adulthood. We found that newborn liver B cell population are transcriptionally and phenotypically distinct from those in adults, with significant alterations in genes related to immunoglobulin processing, release, and major histocompatibility complex class I and II functions. Photoconversion-based tracking revealed that liver-resident B cells actively migrate to distant lymphoid organs, including the spleen and bone marrow, where they integrate into the mature immune cell pool. Our findings establish the newborn liver as a crucial niche for B cell maturation and migration, highlighting its role in seeding secondary lymphoid organs and contributing to immune function throughout life. These insights provide new understanding of liver-derived B cells in the postnatal development of the immune system.
Authors
- Toby B. Lanser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2250-6075)
- M. Figueroa Pedrosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0061-2344)
- Patrick da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3481-4972)
- Rafael M. Rezende (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3998-8012)
- Marília Garcia de Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4719-5752)
- Bruna Araújo David (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8486-329X)
- Kassiana Mafra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0184-6433)
- Stephania Libreros (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2973-5014)
- André M. Vale (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7501-2370)
- Brenda Naemi Nakagaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5597-2726)
- Wanderson Ferreira da Silva Júnior (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3402-9410)
- Mateus Eustáquio Lopes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8730-7336)
- Muhammad Usman Babar
- Paul Kubes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2835-4244)
- Maísa Mota Antunes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4600-7593)
- Cristina Maria Pinto de Paula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4070-1472)
- Gustavo Batista Menezes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9887-3616)
- Matheus Silvério Mattos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9163-6279)
- Ziyu Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8052-684X)
- Antônio Filipe Pereira Caetano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0704-5386)
- Thiago Mattar Cunha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7855-3700)
- Gabriel da Rocha Fernandes
- Tashi Rastogi
- Liza Konnikava
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Minas Gerais (BR)
- University of Calgary (CA)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Yale University (US)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics (CZ)
- Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Immunology
- Published
- 2025-10-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf264
- Primary Topic
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00