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Updated: Aug 14, 2025

In Vitro Differentiation Model of Human Normal Memory B Cells to Long-lived Plasma Cells
Published on: January 20, 2019
The cellular biology of plasma cells: Unmet challenges and opportunities
Amélie Bonaud1, Mélanie Khamyath1, Marion Espéli1
1Université Paris-Cité, Institut de Recherche Saint-Louis, INSERM U1160, Paris, F-75010, France; OPALE Carnot Institute, The Organization for Partnerships in Leukemia, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France.
Plasma cells and the antibodies they secrete are paramount for protection against infection but can also be implicated in diseases including autoantibody-mediated disease and multiple myeloma. Plasma cell terminal differentiation relies on a transcriptional switch and on important morphological changes. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes are partly understood and how plasma cells manage to survive for long periods of time while secreting large quantities of antibodies remains unclear. In this review we aim to put in perspective what is known about plasma cell cellular biology to highlight the challenges faced by this field of research but also to illustrate how new opportunities may arise from the study of the fundamental mechanisms sustaining plasma cell survival and function.
Plasma cells and the antibodies they secrete are paramount for protection against infection but can also be implicated in diseases including autoantibody-mediated disease and multiple myeloma. Plasma cell terminal differentiation relies on a transcriptional switch and on important morphological changes. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes are partly understood and how plasma cells manage to survive for long periods of time while secreting large quantities of antibodies remains unclear. In this review we aim to put in perspective what is known about plasma cell cellular biology to highlight the challenges faced by this field of research but also to illustrate how new opportunities may arise from the study of the fundamental mechanisms sustaining plasma cell survival and function.
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