Repertoire comparison of the B‐cell receptor‐encoding loci in humans and rhesus macaques by next‐generation sequencing

Rhesus macaques (RMs) are a widely used model system for the study of vaccines, infectious diseases and microbial pathogenesis. Their value as a model lies in their close evolutionary relationship to humans, which, in theory, allows them to serve as a close approximation of the human immune system. However, despite their prominence as a human surrogate model system, many aspects of the RM immune system remain ill characterized. In particular, B cell‐mediated immunity in macaques has not been sufficiently characterized, and the B‐cell receptor‐encoding loci have not been thoroughly annotated. To address these gaps, we analyzed the circulating heavy‐ and light‐chain repertoires in humans and RMs by next‐generation sequencing. By comparing V gene segment usage, J‐segment usage and CDR3 lengths between the two species, we identified several important similarities and differences. These differences were especially notable in the IgM+ B‐cell repertoire. However, the class‐switched, antigen‐educated B‐cell populations converged on a set of similar characteristics, implying similarities in how each species responds to antigen. Our study provides the first comprehensive overview of the circulating repertoires of the heavy‐ and light‐chain sequences in RMs, and provides insight into how they may perform as a model system for B cell‐mediated immunity in humans.