Initiation of antigen receptor-dependent differentiation into plasma cells by calmodulin inhibition of E2A.

Differentiation of B lymphocytes into Ab-secreting plasmablasts and plasma cells is Ag driven. The interaction of Ag with the membrane-bound Ab of the BCR is critical in determining which clones enter the plasma cell response. However, not much is known about the coupling between BCR activation and the shift in transcription factor network from that of a B cell to that of ASC differentiation. Our genome-wide analysis shows that Ab-secreting cell differentiation of mouse B cells is induced by BCR activation through very fast regulatory events from the BCR. We identify activation of IFN regulatory factor-4 and down-regulation of Pax5, Bcl-6, MITF, Ets-1, Fli-1, and Spi-B gene expression as immediate early events. Furthermore, the transcription factor E2A is required for the rapid key down-regulations after BCR activation, and the Ca(2+) sensor protein calmodulin has the corresponding regulatory effect as BCR activation. Moreover, mutants in the calmodulin binding site of E2A show that Ca(2+) signaling through calmodulin inhibition of E2A is essential for the rapid down-regulation of immediate early genes after BCR activation in initiation of plasma cell differentiation.