Chronic viral infections impaired the growth process of splenic B cells by upregulating Bbc3 and Atf3 in LCMV-CL13 infected mouse model

Chronic persistent viral infections can lead to significant spleen damage, thus disrupting the host humoral immune response; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we employed a Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) chronic infection model to investigate the effects of virus infection on spleen damage. Mice infected with Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus clone 13 (LCMV-CL13) presented a series of pathological features, such as white pulp atrophy and reduced germinal center diameter, length, and area in the spleen. More importantly, we observed a diminished GC response alongside a weak antibody response in the chronic infection model. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) further revealed the dysregulation of gene expression, including <i>Bbc3</i>, <i>Atf3</i>, and <i>Ptpn6</i>, which inhibit B-cell differentiation during chronic viral infection. We verify that the upregulation of <i>Bbc3</i> or <i>Atf3</i>, respectively, can promote apoptosis in BaF3 cells. Immune repertoire (IR) analysis revealed that the molecular diversity of the BCR repertoire after LCMV-CL13 infection, specifically manifested in BCR clonal diversity, <i>IGHV</i> gene segment usage preference, and CDR3 sequence changes. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that chronic LCMV-CL13 infection interrupted the development of splenic B cells by increasing the expression of apoptosis genes, thus enhancing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of B-cell development interruption during chronic viral infection.