The extrafollicular B cell response is a hallmark of childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome

The efficacy of the B cell-targeting drug rituximab (RTX) in childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) suggests that B cells may be implicated in disease pathogenesis. However, B cell characterization in children with INS remains limited. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrate that a B cell transcriptional program poised for effector functions represents the major immune perturbation in blood samples from children with active INS. This transcriptional profile was associated with an extrafollicular B cell response marked by the expansion of atypical B cells (atBCs), marginal zone-like B cells, and antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). Flow cytometry of blood from 13 children with active INS and 24 healthy donors confirmed the presence of an extrafollicular B cell response denoted by the expansion of proliferating RTX-sensitive extrafollicular (CXCR5-) CD21low T-bet+ CD11c+ atBCs and short-lived T-bet+ ASCs in INS. Together, our study provides evidence for an extrafollicular origin for humoral immunity in active INS. Although B cell-targeting therapies can provide clinical benefits to children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), B lymphocyte subsets have not been extensively studied in this disease. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing, the authors identify an extrafollicular B cell signature in children with INS.