Murine IgD+ B cells transcriptome analysis when stimulated with LPS and LPS+anti-CD40 [24 hours]

B-lymphocytes constitute an important aspect of mammalian immune systems by virtue of their ability to produce highly specific antibodies in response to foreign antigens and pathogens. When B-lymphocytes encounter the particular antigen that they are responsive to, they differentiate into two types of cells: short-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells and long-lived memory cells. While the plasma B cells are responsible for the rapid resolution of a current infection or immune challenge, the memory B cells are responsible for mounting a rapid response to subsequent exposures. Previous work had demonstrated that treatment of mice with a single dose of anti-CD40 at the time of immunization leads to improved secondary responses, suggesting an enhancement of the memory B cell pool. We are currently studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of memory B cells, using CD40 signalling as a tool. We have carried out a microarray analysis of genome-wide gene expression patterns in naïve B-lymphocytes following CD40 signalling over multiple time points. The effect of LPS and LPS+antiCD40 on the transcriptome of IgD+ B cells was analyzed 24 hours after stimulation. The analysis used LPS-treated IgD+B cells as the control for comparison to LPS+anti-CD40-treated cells (test). Indirect comparisons were made across multiple arrays with raw data pulled from different channels for data analysis and comparison to the control data.