title: Germinal center reaction.
abstract: The germinal center reaction is one critical outcome of helper T-cell-dependent antigen-specific B-cell responses. Germinal center reactions are the culmination of an orchestrated series of intercellular information exchanges discussed here as the serial synapsis model of adaptive immunity. The main purpose of the germinal center reaction is the development of B-cell memory through iterative cycles of somatic antigen receptor diversification and the selection of B cells with receptors of best fit. Recent studies provide insight into the regulation of these complex processes in vivo with new information on the cellular organization of the memory B-cell compartment.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Department of Immunology, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. mchey002@duke.edu
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: McHeyzer-Williams
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Driver
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: McHeyzer-Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology