Wnt5a is secreted by follicular dendritic cells to protect germinal center B cells via Wnt/Ca2+/NFAT/NF-κB-B cell lymphoma 6 signaling.
Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) protect germinal center (GC) B cells from rapid apoptosis to allow their survival and maturation. In this article, we show that FDCs normally produce and secrete Wnt5a to protect GC B cells. Wnt5a production is upregulated by polyI:C. Purified Wnt5a protects GC B cells from apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. GC B cells are protected by FDC coculture or conditioned medium, and the protection is inhibited significantly by anti-Wnt5a Ab, suggesting a major role of Wnt5a in the FDC-mediated GC B cell protection. A calcium chelator BAPTA-AM blocks the Wnt5a-mediated GC B cell protection, implying a role of Wnt/Ca(2+) signaling in the GC B cell survival. Wnt5a and calcium ionophore activate NFATc1, NFATc2, NF-κB, and B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL-6) promptly and upregulate CD40 expression in GC B and Ramos cells, whereas p53 and JNK are not upregulated or activated. Cyclosporine A inhibits the Wnt5a and calcium-induced activation of NF-κB and BCL-6 in Ramos cells, supporting a role of β-catenin-independent Wnt/Ca(2+)/NFAT/NF-κB-BCL-6 signaling. Our data support that Wnt5a is a novel survival factor for GC B cells and might be a potential target for the regulation of B cell immunity.