Requirements of IL-4 during the Generation of B Cell Memory
Clarissa R Chakma1, Kim L Good-Jacobson1
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract:
IL-4 has long been established as a key regulator of Th cells and for promoting effective B cell survival and isotype class switching. Yet, despite having been extensively studied, the specific role of IL-4 in generating humoral memory in vivo is unclear. In this review, we explore the recent studies that unravel the cellular sources and spatiotemporal production of IL-4, the relationship between IL-4 and IL-21 during germinal center responses and the formation of Ab-secreting cells, and the current understanding of whether IL-4 promotes or suppresses memory B cell generation in vitro and in vivo.
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