Determining the Impact of B Cell Selenoproteins on the Humoral Immune Response
Open Access
- Author:
- De Luna, Nina
- Millennium Scholars Program:
- Immunology and Infectious Disease (IID_BS)
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisor:
- Girish Soorappa Kirimanjeswara, Thesis Supervisor
- Keywords:
- Selenium
Selenoproteins
B Cells
Humoral Immunity
Immunology - Abstract:
- Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient which exerts its biological effects through its incorporation into proteins via the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine. Se has shown to play a role in promoting the immune response through events such as immune cell signaling, T helper cell differentiation, and phagocytic activity, however, few studies have examined the role of B cell specific selenoproteins. Recently, our lab has found that B cells lacking selenoproteins exhibit a developmental defect and produce lower levels of basal antibodies compared to wild-type B cells. Given the apparent importance of selenoproteins in B cell development and functioning, we hypothesized that B cell selenoproteins contribute to the protective humoral immune response. We assessed the role of B cell selenoproteins in the humoral immune response against Bordetella pertussis using a transgenic mouse model lacking all 25 selenoproteins in a B cell-specific manner (TrspB). After vaccinating the mice with Tdap and challenging them with B. pertussis, we found that TrspB mice had significantly reduced antibody titers compared to control mice. However, this was not paired with a difference in bacterial clearance. We also performed a study in which mice were fed one of three Se diets: deficient, adequate, or supplemented to determine if Se supplementation could help boost the vaccine-mediated humoral immune response. In this study, we did not see differences in either antibody titers or bacterial clearance between diet types. While the impact of Se supplementation is not clear, our studies provide evidence in support of the role of B cell-specific selenoproteins in the humoral immune response.