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Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation
15:39

Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation

Published on: June 1, 2019

B cells as effectors

Michael G McHeyzer-Williams1

  • 1Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. mcheyzer@scripps.edu

Current Opinion in Immunology
|June 6, 2003
PubMed

B cells act as immune effectors, primarily through antigen-specific clonal expansion and plasma-cell differentiation. B1 (CD5(+)) B cells and marginal zone B cells dominate T-cell independent humoral responses under the molecular control of activated dendritic cells. Helper T cell-regulated B-cell responses draw on follicular B cells as precursors and rely on qualitatively different patterns of immune synapse formation to regulate B-cell fate. These activities culminate in the germinal center reaction, during which somatic hypermutation and antigen-driven selection produce and preserve high-affinity plasma cells with extended longevity and memory B cells as the sensitized precursors for antigen recall.

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