{
  "abstract": "Introduction: As an important cause of immune system dysfunction, stress can damage thymic stromal cells, leading to a persistent imbalance in thymic function. Thymic B cells can present autoantigens, playing a critical role in the establishment of central T cell tolerance. However, current research on the effects of stress on thymic B cells remains limited.\n\nMethods: Publicly available scRNA-seq datasets were analyzed to characterize thymic B cell phenotypes and glucocorticoid responsiveness. A restraint stress mouse model was employed to assess stress-induced changes in thymic B cell abundance and phenotype by flow cytometry and histopathology, and transcriptomic alterations by bulk RNA sequencing of sorted thymic B cells.\n\nResults: Thymic B cells exhibited a distinctive memory B cell signature with constitutively activated immune-related pathways, and robust glucocorticoid responsiveness. Restraint stress significantly reduced thymic B cell numbers, increased the proportion of IgD ⁺ IgM ⁺ B cells, and downregulated the expression of CD80 and CD86 in IgD ⁺ IgM ⁺ B cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that stress suppressed cell cycle and G2/M checkpoint pathway, inhibited CD40L- and IFN-λ-responsive gene expression, attenuated Aire-dependent gene expression, and diminished the presentation of autoantigens. Furthermore, the expression levels of CD40 and MHC II in most of the thymic B cell subsets were markedly decreased.\n\nDiscussion: This study reveals the detrimental impact of stress on thymic B cell. Collectively, stress impairs thymic B cell proliferation and attenuates critical licensing signals, including the CD40L–CD40 and IFN-λ signaling, thereby leading to a reduction in thymic B cell numbers, compromised activation, and impaired antigen-presenting capacity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Postdoctoral Research Station in Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University",
    "Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University"
  ],
  "article_type": "brief report",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Longda Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Weibo Shi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Songjun Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bin Cong"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3vhqtgeqb7vvx.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1963346",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13710050/",
  "id": "3vhqtgeqb7vvx",
  "issns": [
    "1664-3224"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1963346/full",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Brief Research Report"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2403|T-cell and B-cell Immunology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221682016",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1963346/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13710050",
  "pmid": "42947705",
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3vhqtgeqb7vvx.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:15Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1963346",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1963346/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:05Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13710050",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1963346"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2403|T-cell and B-cell Immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effects of stress on thymic B cells in C57BL/6J mice: phenotypic characterization and mechanistic insights",
  "title_text": "Effects of stress on thymic B cells in C57BL/6J mice: phenotypic characterization and mechanistic insights",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:21:05Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3vhqtgeqb7vvx",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Immunology",
  "versions": []
}