title: Cutting edge: Hierarchy of maturity of murine memory B cell subsets.
abstract: The paucity of murine memory B cell markers has been a significant impediment to the study of memory. The most commonly used marker is IgG, which is neither sensitive nor specific, because activated nonmemory cells can be IgG(+), and memory cells can be IgM(+). In this article, we show that, together, PD-L2 (CD273), CD80, and CD73 define at least five phenotypic subsets of murine memory B cells. These subsets are generated from naive cells bearing a single BCR in response to a single T-dependent Ag. This diversity is independent of class switch, because IgG(1)- and IgM-bearing memory cells are found within each compartment. Memory subsets defined by PD-L2, CD80, and CD73 are biologically distinct from one another, because they differ in ontogeny and selection. Together, these distinctions suggest that there is a spectrum of memory B cells and progressive acquisition from more naive-like to more memory-like properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208059, New Haven, CT 06520-8059, USA. mary.tomayko@yale.edu
authors.forename: Mary M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tomayko
authors.forename: Natalie C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Steinel
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shlomchik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell