Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0183-6427
Date Available
1-31-2025
Year of Publication
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
College
Medicine
Department/School/Program
Neuroscience
First Advisor
Dr. Ann Stowe
Abstract
Age-Associated B cells (ABCs) are atypical memory B cells commonly expressing CD11b, CD11c, and T-bet. We hypothesized that aged female mice would have worse functional outcomes after stroke due to higher brain-localized ABCs. We identified 6 ABC subsets expressed in the brain, with higher levels in uninjured animals versus 3 weeks after stroke. Contradictory to my hypothesis, aged uninjured males with higher numbers of Classical ABCs (CD11bhighCXCR5+/CXCR5-) in the brain exhibited better motor function, though with limited differences by injury or sex for other classical ABC subsets. Rare CD11b+CXCR5+ populations from uninjured mice secreted more IFN-γ when exposed to TLR7/9 agonists or post-stroke plasma. ABCs are prone to IFN-γ and TNF secretion with CXCR5+/- cell counts dependent on injury and treatment. Histology identified for the first time that T-Bet+ ABCs exist in cortical, hippocampal, and cerebellar brain regions of aged mice that was also confirmed in human parenchyma. Overall, these data suggest a supportive albeit pro-inflammatory role for CD19+CD11b+ ABCs in aged uninjured males but does not suggest an increase in cell count long-term post-stroke. While these data add to the limited knowledge of ABC’s role in the brains of post-stroke aged mice, more work is necessary to determine potential therapeutic targets.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.399
Funding Information
This study was supported both by the National Institutes of Health T32 “Training in Translational Research in Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (TRIAD)” AG057461 (2021-2023) and Dr. Stowe's R01 "B Cells Directly Alter Adaptive Plasticity to Support Functional Recovery After Stroke" NS088555 (2019-2024).
Recommended Citation
Colson, Katie, "CHARACTERIZING AGE-ASSOCIATED CD19+ B CELLS AFTER STROKE IN AGED MALE AND FEMALE MICE REVEALS SEX-DEPENDENT FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY" (2024). Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience. 37.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/neurobio_etds/37
