Heavy-chain directed B-cell maturation: continuous clonal selection beginning at the pre-B cell stage.
A number of laboratories have demonstrated a biased representation of certain V-region segments in the primary B-cell repertoire. This may reflect clonal selection at the pre-B cell stage of differentiation. Here, Robert Schwartz and David Stollar suggest that pre-B cells undergo positive selection directed by the presence of surface heavy chain with low affinity to autoantigen. This mechanism would account for the anti-self property of the pre-immune B-cell repertoire.
Schwartz
R S
RS
Dept of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111.
Stollar
B D
BD
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002999:Clone Cells; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000502:physiology*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000502:physiology*
D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region