Interferon-γ production by Tfh cells is required for CXCR3+ pre-memory B cell differentiation and subsequent lung-resident memory B cell responses

Abstract

Lung-resident memory B cells (lung-BRMs) differentiate into plasma cells after reinfection, providing enhanced pulmonary protection. Here, we investigated the determinants of lung-BRM differentiation upon influenza infection. Kinetic analyses revealed that influenza nucleoprotein (NP)-specific BRMs preferentially differentiated early after infection and required T follicular helper (Tfh) cell help. BRM differentiation temporally coincided with transient interferon (IFN)-γ production by Tfh cells. Depletion of IFN-γ in Tfh cells prevented lung-BRM differentiation and impaired protection against heterosubtypic infection. IFN-γ was required for expression of the transcription factor T-bet by germinal center (GC) B cells, which promoted differentiation of a CXCR3⁺ GC B cell subset that were precursors of lung-BRMs and CXCR3⁺ memory B cells in the mediastinal lymph node. Absence of IFN-γ signaling or T-bet in GC B cells prevented CXCR3⁺ pre-memory precursor development and hampered CXCR3⁺ memory B cell differentiation and subsequent lung-BRM responses. Thus, Tfh-cell-derived IFN-γ is critical for lung-BRM development and pulmonary immunity, with implications for vaccination strategies targeting BRMs.

Keywords: BRMs; CXCR3; T-bet; Tfh cells; Tfh-1 cells; germinal centers; influenza; intranasal vaccination; memory B cells; pre-MEMs.