title: B-cell memory: are subsets necessary?
abstract: B-cell memory is provided by populations of quiescent memory B cells and long-lived plasma cells. Whereas it is clear that both of these cell populations arise from germinal centres, the signals and circumstances that trigger germinal-centre B cells to enter and then persist in memory compartments are poorly defined. Here, I propose that germinal centres produce memory B cells and plasma cells throughout the immune response and that memory B cells arise by the emigration of B cells that are chosen at random from the pool available in the germinal centre. The ability of such emigrants to survive as memory B cells depends on their germinal-centre 'history', with the persistence of high-affinity B-cell variants being favoured.
authors.affiliation: David Tarlinton is at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3050, Australia. tarlinton@wehi.edu.au
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tarlinton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*