Is long-term humoral immunity in the mucosa provided by long-lived plasma cells? A question still open.
The biology of antibody-secreting cells is still a matter of controversial discussion. One of the key questions is how the migration and lifespan of antibody-secreting cells is linked to their generation. A paper in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology provides further information on the generation of long-term mucosal immune responses; however, the study leaves many questions unanswered as discussed in this brief Commentary.
Hiepe
Falk
F
Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. falk.hiepe@charite.de
Radbruch
Andreas
A
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D022261:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D022261:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines