Cyclic re-entry of germinal center B cells and the efficiency of affinity maturation.
Affinity maturation of the humoral immune response by somatic hypermutation is marked by a rapid and dramatic increase in affinity for the eliciting antigen. We suggest that the optimal mutation schedule is one in which periods of rapid mutation alternate with periods of mutation-free growth. The multicompartmental structure of the germinal center, together with re-entry of positively selected B cells back into the germinal center, will naturally implement such a schedule, thereby providing an anatomical basis for the efficiency of the germinal center reaction.
Santa Fe Institute, NM 87501.
T B
TB
Kepler
A S
AS
Perelson
D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics*; D008433:Mathematics; D009154:Mutation
D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region