DNA and a CpG Oligonucleotide Derived from Babesia bovis Are Mitogenic for Bovine B Cells

DNAs from bacteria and variety of nonvertebrate organisms, including nematodes, mollusks, yeasts, and insects, cause polyclonal activation of murine B lymphocytes. Similar studies have not been reported for bovine B cells, and to date no studies have reported mitogenic properties of protozoal DNA for any species. However, we and others have observed that protozoal parasite antigens can induce the proliferation of lymphocytes from nonexposed donors. Extending these studies, we now show that the mitogenic property of protozoal antigen preparations is in part attributable to parasite DNA and that Babesia bovis DNA is directly mitogenic for bovine B cells. DNase treatment of B. bovis extracts abrogated B. bovis-induced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from nonexposed cattle. Like DNAs from other organisms that were mitogenic for murine B cells, B. bovis DNA is largely nonmethylated and induced a dose-dependent proliferation of bovine B cells, which was reduced upon methylation. Furthermore, B. bovis and E. coli DNAs enhanced immunoglobulin secretion by cultured B cells, inducing moderate increases in immunoglobulin G1 and stronger increases in immunoglobulin G2. Because certain nonmethylated CpG motifs present in bacterial DNA are known to stimulate proliferation of murine and human B cells, an 11-kb fragment of B. bovis DNA was analyzed for CG dinucleotide content and for the presence of known immunostimulatory sequences (ISS) centered on a CG motif. The frequency of CG dinucleotides was approximately one-half of the expected frequency, and several CpG hexameric sequences with known activity for murine B cells were identified. An oligodeoxynucleotide containing one of these ISS (AACGTT), which is present within the rhoptry-associated protein-1 (rap-1) open reading frame, was shown to stimulate B-cell proliferation. These ISS may be involved in host immune modulation during protozoal infection and may be useful as vaccine adjuvants. The mitogenic properties of bacterial DNA include its ability to stimulate murine B cells to proliferate and secrete antibody (33) and its ability to activate macrophages to secrete cytokines (interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-12, IL-18, alpha interferon [IFN-a], and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-a]) involved in inflammation and promotion of a type-1 immune response (reviewed in reference 42). Additional effects of bacterial DNA include its induction of IL-1b and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in IFN-g-treated macrophages (52). Specific sequences present in microbial DNA, consisting of a nonmethylated CG core flanked by two 59 purines and two 39 pyrimidines, are largely responsible for its mitogenic properties. Mammalian DNA, which is predominantly methylated and has a suppressed frequency of CG dinucleotides (4), is not mitogenic. However, DNAs from a variety of nonvertebrate organisms, including insects (e.g., Drosophilia melanogaster), yeasts (e.g., Schizosaccharomyces pombe), nematodes (e.g., Caenorhabditis elegans), and mollusks (e.g., Mytilus edulis) have mitogenic properties for murine B cells that are similar to those of bacterial DNA, which correlated with the presence of nonmethylated CG dinucleotides (57, 58). Protozoal parasites and crude antigenic fractions stimulate proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from nonexposed donors, but the mitogenic components have not been completely defined. Examples include the