In vitro generation of mature murine plasma cells uncovers adaptive Prdm1 expression

Upon encounter with antigen, B cells undergo a sequential process of differentiation to become antibody-secreting plasma cells. While the key drivers of differentiation have been identified, research has been limited by the lack of in vitro models recapitulating the full process for murine B cells. Here we describe methodology using BCR or TLR ligation to obtain plasma cells that are phenotypically mature, have exited cell cycle and express a gene signature concordant with long-lived plasma cells. Dependent on the initial stimuli, the transcriptomes also show variation, suggestive of unique functional properties for the resultant plasma cells. Moreover, using the new culture conditions we demonstrate that alternative promoter choice regulating the expression of the master transcription factor Blimp-1 can be observed. Thus, our novel system provides a readily tractable model for furthering our understanding of plasma cell biology. Overall design: mRNA profiles of 45 samples, 3 replicates for each time/condition