Orchestration of antiviral B cell responses by B cell zone fibroblasts

The priming of efficient humoral immune responses requires the spatial-temporal coordination of B cells with cognate helper T cells and antigen in the B cell follicle of secondary lymphoid organs. While the dynamic expression of G-protein coupled receptors on B cells has been extensively defined, the concomitant inflammation-induced remodelling of the underpinning B cell zone fibroblastic network remains relatively ill-understood. Combining genetic models targeting B cell zone fibroblasts and single cell transcriptomics, we are interested in understanding the key niche factors provided by fibroblasts that sustain B cell responses, as well as the reciprocal maturation cues provided by immune cells that sustain functionally-discrete fibroblastic niches within the B cell follicle.