Human B cell lineages engaged by germinal centers following influenza vaccination are measurably evolving

Abstract

Poor efficacy of seasonal influenza virus vaccines is often attributed to pre-existing immunity interfering with the persistence and maturation of vaccine-induced B cell responses.¹ Consistent with this notion, no significant increase in somatic hypermutation (SHM) among circulating influenza-binding lineages was detected following seasonal vaccination in humans.² A more recent study showed that at least a subset of vaccine-induced B cell lineages are recruited into germinal centers (GCs) following vaccination, suggesting that affinity maturation of these lineages can occur.³ Crucially, however, it has not been demonstrated whether these GC-engaged lineages actually accumulate additional SHM. Here, we address this point using a phylogenetic test of measurable evolution. We first validate this test through simulations and demonstrate measurable B cell evolution in known examples of affinity maturation such as the response to HIV infection. We then show that lineages in the blood are rarely measurably evolving following influenza vaccination, but that GC-engaged lineages - likely derived from memory B cells - are frequently measurably evolving. These findings confirm that seasonal influenza virus vaccination can stimulate additional SHM among responding B cell lineages.