Antigen-Specific B Cells Reactivate an Effective Cytotoxic T Cell Response against Phagocytosed <em>Salmonella</em> through Cross-Presentation

BackgroundThe eradication of facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens, like Salmonella typhi, requires the concerted action of both the humoral immune response and the cytotoxic CD8+ T cell response. Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered to orchestrate the cytotoxic CD8+ T cell response via cross-presentation of bacterial antigens onto MHC class I molecules. Cross-presentation of Salmonella by DCs however, is accompanied by the induction of apoptosis in the DCs. Besides antibody production, B cells are required to clear Salmonella infection for other unknown reasons. Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we show that Salmonella-specific B cells that phagocytose Salmonella upon BCR-ligation reactivate human memory CD8+ T cells via cross-presentation yielding a Salmonella-specific cytotoxic T cell response. The reactivation of CD8+ T cells is dependent on CD4+ T cell help. Unlike the DCs, B cell-mediated cross-presentation of Salmonella does not coincide with apoptosis. Conclusions/SignificanceB cells form a new player in the activation of the cytotoxic effector arm of the immune response and the generation of effective adaptive immunity in Salmonella infection.