B cell development and receptor diversity during aging.
Although it is clear that B cell genesis declines with age, the specifics of why this happens are largely unknown. Even less clear is how the age-related decline in B cell development might affect peripheral B cell function. Recent studies have investigated the impact of aging on both B cell genesis in the bone marrow and the resulting peripheral B cell repertoire. On the basis of these studies we propose a model in which the aging of very early B cell progenitors results in shifts in the peripheral B cell repertoire and, consequently, changes in mature B cell function.
Allman
David
D
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6082, USA. dallman@mail.med.upenn.edu
Miller
Juli P
JP
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018448:Models, Immunological; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology