Single cell clonal analysis identifies an AID-dependent pathway of plasma cell differentiation

Germinal centers (GC) are microstructures where B cells that have been activated by antigen can improve the affinity of their B cell receptors and differentiate into memory B cells (MBCs) or antibody secreting plasma cells. Here we have addressed the role of Activation Induced Deaminase (AID), which initiates somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination, in the terminal differentiation of GC B cells. By combining single cell transcriptome and immunoglobulin clonal analysis in a mouse model that traces AID-experienced cells, we have identified a novel subset of late prePB cells (L-prePB), which shares the strongest clonal relationships with PBs. Mice lacking AID have various alterations in the size and expression profiles of transcriptional clusters. We find that AID deficiency leads to a reduced proportion of L-prePB cells and severely impairs transitions between the L-prePB and the PB subsets. Thus, AID shapes the differentiation fate of GC B cells by enabling PB generation from a prePB state. Overall design: Spleen tomato+ cells were isolated from 2 Aicda-Cre+/ki;Rosa26tdTomato+/ki and 2 Aicda-Cre-/ki;Rosa26tdTomato+/ki and multiplexed for single cell RNA sequencing. Libraries for gene expression (GEX), V(D)J and demultiplexing were generated.