Blood CD 9 + B Cell, a biomarker of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation

International audienceBronchiolitis obliterans syndrome is the main limitation for long-term survival after lung transplantation. Some specific B cell populations are associated with long-term graft acceptance. We aimed to monitor the B cell profile during early development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation. The B cell longitudinal profile was analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and patients who remained stable over 3 years of follow-up. CD24(hi)CD38(hi) transitional B cells were increased in stable patients only, and reached a peak 24 months after transplantation, whereas they remained unchanged in patients who developed a bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. These CD24(hi)CD38(hi) transitional B cells specifically secrete IL-10 and express CD9. Thus, patients with a total CD9(+) B cell frequency below 6.6% displayed significantly higher incidence of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (AUC = 0.836, PPV = 0.75, NPV = 1). These data are the first to associate IL-10-secreting CD24(hi)CD38(hi) transitional B cells expressing CD9 with better allograft outcome in lung transplant recipients. CD9-expressing B cells appear as a contributor to a favorable environment essential for the maintenance of long-term stable graft function and as a new predictive biomarker of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome-free survival