CD22 ligand-binding and signaling domains reciprocally regulate B-cell Ca2+ signaling

A high proportion of human B cells carry B-cell receptors (BCRs) that are autoreactive. Inhibitory receptors such as CD22 can down-modulate autoreactive BCR responses. With its extracellular domain, CD22 binds to sialic acids in alpha 2,6 linkages in cis, on the surface of the same B cell or in trans, on other cells. Sialic acids are self ligands, as they are abundant in vertebrates, but are usually not expressed by pathogens. We show that cis-ligand binding of CD22 is crucial for the regulation of B-cell Ca2+ signaling by controlling the CD22 association to the BCR. Mice with a mutated CD22 ligand-binding domain of CD22 showed strongly reduced Ca2+ signaling. In contrast, mice with mutated CD22 immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs have increased B-cell Ca2+ responses, increased B-cell turnover, and impaired survival of the B cells. Thus, the CD22 ligand-binding domain has a crucial function in regulating BCR signaling, which is relevant for controlling autoimmunity.