Isotype switching in human memory B cells sets intrinsic antigen-affinity thresholds that dictate antigen-driven fates.

ABSTRACT: Memory B cells (MBCs) play a critical role in protection against homologous and variant pathogen challenge by either differentiating to plasma cells (PCs) or to germinal center (GC) B cells. The human MBC compartment contains both switched IgG⁺ and unswitched IgM⁺ MBCs; however, whether these MBC subpopulations are equivalent in their response to B cell receptor cross-linking and their resulting fates is incompletely understood. Here, we show that IgG⁺ and IgM⁺ MBCs can be distinguished based on their response to κ-specific monoclonal antibodies of differing affinities. IgG⁺ MBCs responded only to high-affinity anti-κ and differentiated almost exclusively toward PC fates. In contrast, IgM⁺ MBCs were eliminated by apoptosis b

SUBMITTER: Ambegaonkar AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10990115 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature