1. Memory B Cells without Somatic Hypermutation Are Generated from Bcl6-Deficient B Cells
- Author
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Toyama, Hirochika, Okada, Seiji, Hatano, Masahiko, Takahashi, Yoshimasa, Takeda, Nobue, Ichii, Hirohito, Takemori, Toshitada, Kuroda, Yoshikazu, and Tokuhisa, Takeshi
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ANTIGENS , *B cells , *GENETIC mutation - Abstract
After immunization with T cell-dependent antigens, the high-affinity B cells selected in germinal centers differentiate into memory B cells or long-lived antibody-forming cells. However, a role for germinal centers in development of these B lineage cells is still controversial. We show here that Bcl6-deficient B cells, which cannot develop germinal centers, differentiated into IgM and IgG1 memory B cells in the spleen but barely differentiated into long-lived IgG1 antibody-forming cells in the bone marrow. Mutation in the V-heavy gene was null in these memory B cells. Therefore, Bcl6 and germinal center formation are essential for somatic hypermutation, and generation of memory B cells can occur independently of germinal center formation, somatic hypermutation, and Ig class switching. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2002
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