No abstract

B lymphocytes spread and extend membrane processes when searching for antigens and form immune synapses upon contacting cells that display antigens on their surface. Although these dynamic morphological changes facilitate B cell activation, the signaling pathways underlying these processes are not fully understood. We found that activation of the Rap GTPases was essential for these changes in B cell morphology. Rap activation was important for B cell receptor (BCR)- and lymphocyte-function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1)-induced spreading, for BCR-induced immune-synapse formation, and for particulate BCR ligands to induce localized F-actin assembly and membrane-process extension. Rap activation and F-actin assembly were also required for optimal BCR signaling in response to particulate antigens but not soluble antigens. Thus by controlling B cell morphology and cytoskeletal organization, Rap might play a key role in the activation of B cells by particulate and cell-associated antigens.

The localization of B cells to lymphoid organs where they can become activated and differentiate into antibody-secreting plasma cells is controlled by multiple chemoattractants that promote cell migration and integrin-mediated adhesion. CXCL13 and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are two important chemoattractants that control the trafficking of B cells. CXCL13 directs B lymphocytes to lymphoid follicles where they receive survival signals and, if activated, undergo a germinal center response. In contrast, S1P allows B cells and plasma cells to exit lymphoid organs and re-enter the circulation. The Rap1 GTPase is a key regulator of cell adhesion and cell migration in a number of systems. We now show that Rap activation is required for CXCL13 and S1P to induce B cell migration as well as adhesion to ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. We also show that Pyk2, a tyrosine kinase involved in cytoskeleton rearrangements and B cell migration, is a downstream target of both CXCL13 and S1P signaling and that Rap activation is important for CXCL13 and S1P to stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk2, a modification that increases Pyk2 kinase activity. This suggests that the ability of CXCL13 and S1P to direct the trafficking and localization of B cells in vivo may be dependent on Rap activation.