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Role of affinity in plasma cell development in the germinal center light zone.

Authors :
ElTanbouly MA
Ramos V
MacLean AJ
Chen ST
Loewe M
Steinbach S
Ben Tanfous T
Johnson B
Cipolla M
Gazumyan A
Oliveira TY
Nussenzweig MC
Source :
The Journal of experimental medicine [J Exp Med] 2024 Jan 01; Vol. 221 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 08.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Protective immune responses to many pathogens depend on the development of high-affinity antibody-producing plasma cells (PC) in germinal centers (GCs). Transgenic models suggest that there is a stringent affinity-based barrier to PC development. Whether a similar high-affinity barrier regulates PC development under physiologic circumstances and the nature of the PC fate decision has not been defined precisely. Here, we use a fate-mapping approach to examine the relationship between GC B cells selected to undergo additional rounds of affinity maturation, GC pre-PC, and PC. The data show that initial PC selection overlaps with GC B cell selection, but that the PC compartment accumulates a less diverse and higher affinity collection of antibodies over time. Thus, whereas the GC continues to diversify over time, affinity-based pre-PC selection sieves the GC to enable the accumulation of a more restricted group of high-affinity antibody-secreting PC.<br /> (© 2023 ElTanbouly et al.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1540-9538
Volume :
221
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
The Journal of experimental medicine
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
37938344
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20231838