Complete Block of Early B Cell Differentiation in Mice Lacking the Endosomal Adaptor Protein p14

Human primary immunodeficiency caused by a point mutation in the 3' untranslated region of the endosomal adaptor protein p14 (also known as Lamtor2) resulted in severely impaired function of neutrophils, B cells, T cells and melanocytes. However, complexity of the phenotype and scarcity of human material preclude in-depth studies.

Therefore, to gain insight into the role of p14 in B cell development and function, we generated loxP conditional knock-out mice. Using mb-1-Cre mice we demonstrated that loss of p14 at the preB1 stage lead to a complete block of B cell development, resulting in the absence of IgM-positive B cells. Further, to test the significance of p14 deficiency in peripheral organs, we took advantage of CD19-Cre mice, which have limited efficiency in deleting target genes in the bone marrow, but reach up to 95% efficiency in spleen. Thus, we could demonstrate that later in B cell development, p14 was essential for the generation and activation of mature B lymphocytes. While B1 cell development was maintained, splenic follicular B cells were massively reduced in the absence of p14. Furthermore, activation of B cell receptor (BCR) resulted in impaired intracellular signalling and proliferation of p14 deficient B cells. In particular, lack of p14 lead to delayed internalization of BCR and endosomal processing associated with impaired mobilization of Ca⁺⁺ from intracellular stores as well as aberrant phosphorylation of BCR-associated kinases.

In conclusion, our data revealed that p14 is a critical regulator of B cell development and function, which acts by modulating BCR signalling.