Germinal center reutilization by newly activated B cells.
Germinal centers (GCs) are specialized structures in which B lymphocytes undergo clonal expansion, class switch recombination, somatic hypermutation, and affinity maturation. Although these structures were previously thought to contain a limited number of isolated B cell clones, recent in vivo imaging studies revealed that they are in fact dynamic and appear to be open to their environment. We demonstrate that B cells can colonize heterologous GCs. Invasion of primary GCs after subsequent immunization is most efficient when T cell help is shared by the two immune responses; however, it also occurs when the immune responses are entirely unrelated. We conclude that GCs are dynamic anatomical structures that can be reutilized by newly activated B cells during immune responses.
Schwickert
Tanja A
TA
Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Alabyev
Boris
B
Manser
Tim
T
Nussenzweig
Michel C
MC
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology*; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D006433:Hemocyanins; C032808:keyhole-limpet hemocyanin