Tetraspanins in the humoral immune response

The tetraspanins represent a large superfamily of four-transmembrane proteins that are expressed on all nucleated cells. Tetraspanins play a prominent role in the organization of the plasma membrane by co-ordinating the spatial localization of transmembrane proteins and signalling molecules into ‘tetraspanin microdomains’. In immune cells, tetraspanins interact with key leucocyte receptors [including MHC molecules, integrins, CD4/CD8 and the BCR (B-cell receptor) complex] and as such can modulate leucocyte receptor activation and downstream signalling pathways. There is now ample evidence that tetraspanins on B-lymphocytes are important in controlling antibody production. The tetraspanin CD81 interacts with the BCR complex and is critical for CD19 expression and IgG production, whereas the tetraspanin CD37 inhibits IgA production and is important for IgG production. By contrast, the tetraspanins CD9, Tssc6 and CD151 appear dispensable for humoral immune responses. Thus individual tetraspanin family members have specific functions in B-cell biology, which is evidenced by recent studies in tetraspanin-deficient mice and humans. The present review focuses on tetraspanins expressed by B-lymphocytes and discusses novel insights into the function of tetraspanins in the humoral immune response.