Hayakawa et al. show that distinctive B-lineage progression from B-1 development allows for generation of B1a cells with restricted BCRs and self-renewal capacity, both contributing to potential for CLL progression.

A common feature of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is chromosomal loss of 13q14, containing the miR15a/16-1 locus controlling B cell proliferation. However, CLL etiology remains unclear. CLL is an adult leukemia with an incidence that increases with advancing age. A unique feature of CLL is biased B cell antigen receptor (BCR) usage, autoreactivity with polyreactivity, and CD5 expression, all suggest a role for the BCR in driving CLL pathogenesis. Among human CLLs, BCRs autoreactive with non-muscle myosin IIA (AMyIIA) are recurrent. Here we identify an unmutated AMyIIA BCR in mouse, with distinctive CDR3 segments capable of promoting leukemogenesis. B cells with this AMyIIA BCR are generated by BCR-dependent signaling during B-1 fetal/neonatal development with CD5 induction, but not in adults. These early-generated AMyIIA B1 B cells self-renew, increase during aging, and can progress to become monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis, followed by aggressive CLL in aged mice, often with loss of a chromosomal region containing the miR15a/16-1 locus of varying length, as in human CLL. Thus, the ability to generate this defined autoreactive BCR by B1 B cells is a key predisposing step in mice, promoting progression to chronic leukemia.

Expression of a germline VH3609/D/JH2 immunoglobulin heavy chain in mice results in the generation of B1 B cells with anti-thymocyte/Thy-1 glycoprotein autoreactivity (ATA) by co-expression of Vk21-5/Jk2 light chain leading to production of serum IgM natural autoantibody. In these same mice, the marginal zone B cell (MZ B) subset in spleen shows biased usage of a set of immunoglobulin light chains different from B1 B cells, with 30% having an identical Vk19-17/Jk1 light chain rearrangement. This VH3609/Vk19-17 IgM is reactive with intestinal goblet cell granules, binding to the intact large polymatrix form of mucin 2 glycoprotein secreted by goblet cells. Analysis of a μκBCR transgenic mouse with this anti-goblet cell/mucin2 autoreactive specificity (AGcA) demonstrates that immature B cells expressing the transgenic BCR become marginal zone B cells in spleen by T cell-independent BCR signaling. These transgenic B cells produce AGcA as the predominant serum IgM, but without enteropathy. Without the transgene, AGcA autoreactivity is low but detectable in the serum of BALB/c and C.B17 mice, and this autoantibody is specifically produced by the MZ B cell subset. Thus, our findings reveal that AGcA is a natural autoantibody associated with MZ B cells.

The Lin28b+Let7− axis in fetal/neonatal development plays a role in promoting CD5+ B1a cell generation as a B-1 B cell developmental outcome. Here we identify the Let7 target, Arid3a, as a crucial molecular effector of the B-1 cell developmental program. Arid3a expression is increased at pro-B cell stage and markedly increased at pre-B and immature B cell stages in the fetal/neonatal liver B-1 development relative to that in the Lin28b−Let7+ adult bone marrow (BM) B-2 cell development. Analysis of B-lineage restricted Lin28b transgenic (Tg) mice, Arid3a knockout and Arid3a Tg mice, confirmed that increased Arid3a allows B cell generation without requiring surrogate light chain (SLC) associated pre-BCR stage, and prevents MHC class II cell expression at the pre-B and newly generated immature B cell stages, distinct from pre-BCR dependent B development with MHC class II in adult BM. Moreover, Arid3a plays a crucial role in supporting B1a cell generation. The increased Arid3a leads higher Myc and Bhlhe41, and lower Siglec-G and CD72 at the pre-B and immature B cell stages than normal adult BM, to allow BCR signaling induced B1a cell generation. Arid3a-deficiency selectively blocks the development of B1a cells, while having no detectable effect on CD5− B1b, MZ B, and FO B cell generation resembling B-2 development outcome. Conversely, enforced expression of Arid3a by transgene is sufficient to promote the development of B1a cells from adult BM. Under the environment change between birth to adult, altered BCR repertoire in increased B1a cells occurred generated from adult BM. However, crossed with B1a-restricted VH/D/J IgH knock-in mice allowed to confirm that SLC-unassociated B1a cell increase and CLL/lymphoma generation can occur in aged from Arid3a increased adult BM. These results confirmed that in fetal/neonatal normal mice, increased Arid3a at the pre-B cell and immature B cell stages is crucial for generating B1a cells together with the environment for self-ligand reactive BCR selection, B1a cell maintenance, and potential for development of CLL/Lymphoma in aged mice.

In mice, fetal/neonatal B-1 cell development generates CD5+ B cells (B1a) with autoreactivity. We analyzed B1a cells at the neonatal stage in a VH11/D/JH knock-in mouse line (VH11t) that generates an autoreactive anti-phosphatidylcholine (aPtC) B cell receptors (BCR). Our study revealed that aPtC B1a cells develop in liver, mature in spleen, and distribute in intestine/colon, mesenteric lymph node (mLN) and body cavity, as the outcome of B-1 cell development before B-2 cell development. Throughout life, self-renewing B-1 B1a cells circulate through intestine, mesenteric vessel and blood. The body cavity-deposited B1a cells also re-migrate. In old age, some B1a cells proceed to monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis. When neonatal B-1 B1a cells express an anti-thymocyte/Thy-1 autoreactivity (ATA) BCR transgene in the C.B17 mouse background, ATA B cells increase in PBL and strongly develop lymphomas in aging mice that feature splenomegaly and mLN hyperplasia with heightened expression of CD11b, IL-10, and activated Stat3. At the adult stage, ATA B cells were normally present in the mantle zone area, including in intestine. Furthermore, frequent association with mLN hyperplasia suggests the influence by intestinal microenvironment on lymphoma development. When cyclin D1 was overexpressed by the Eμ-cyclin D1 transgene, ATA B cells progressed to further diffused lymphoma in aged mice, including in various lymph nodes with accumulation of IgMhiIgDloCD5+CD23−CD43+ cells, resembling aggressive human mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Thus, our findings reveal that early-generated B cells, as an outcome of B-1 cell development, can progress to become lymphocytosis, lymphoma, and MCL-like neoplasia in aged mice.