title: On plasma cell longevity or brevity.
abstract: The seemingly long half-life of antibody-producing plasma cells demonstrated by antigen-binding (ELISA type of) assays as compared with the short-livedness of neutralizing and protective antibody-producing plasma cells is explained here by the heterogeneity and multiple crossreactive antibodies detected by ELISA-type assays. While DNP-specific B cell frequencies are about 10(-2) that of virus, serotype-specific B cell frequencies are about 10(-5)-10(-6). Therefore, the seemingly long-lived multiple low-affinity crossreactive antibody-producing plasma cells represent a collective of little if any biological or evolutionary relevance. The plasma cells producing high-affinity protective, neutralizing antibodies (>10(9) M(-1)) in mice are short-lived and therefore continued antibody production is dependent on antigen exposure from within (immune complexes and persistence of infections) or from without by epidemiologically circulating infectious agents, or by revaccinations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000915:Antibody Affinity / Q000276:immunology; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D008136:Longevity / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D018116:Vesiculovirus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M
keywords: affinity; antigen-driven; antigenic site; binding assay; crossreactivity; memory; neutralization; protection