title: Neutralizing antiviral B cell responses.
abstract: Neutralizing antiviral B cell responses differ in various aspects from the many usually measured B cell responses specific for protein in adjuvants. In particular, such neutralizing antiviral B cell responses are more rapidly induced, reach higher titers, are longer lived, and are efficiently generated without adjuvants. Evidence is summarized here that the repetitiveness of many viral antigens is a key factor responsible for the efficiency of these B cell responses, amplifying B cells early and rapidly for potent IgM responses and also for efficient switching to IgG. The data reviewed indicate that B cells discriminate antigen patterns via the degree of surface Ig-cross-linking and use antigen repetitiveness as a self/nonself discriminator.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008954:Models, Biological; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; C028391:G protein, vesicular stomatitis virus; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins