Maintenance of Serological Memory by Polyclonal Activation of Human Memory B Cells

✍ Scribed by Bernasconi, N. L.

• Book ID: 121747997
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 260 KB
• Volume: 298
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0036-8075
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1076071

✦ Synopsis

Production of antibodies can last for a lifetime, through mechanisms that remain poorly understood. Here, we show that human memory B lymphocytes proliferate and differentiate into plasma cells in response to polyclonal stimuli, such as bystander T cell help and CpG DNA. Furthermore, plasma cells secreting antibodies to recall antigens are produced in vivo at levels proportional to the frequency of specific memory B cells, even several years after antigenic stimulation. Although antigen boosting leads to a transient increase in specific antibody levels, ongoing polyclonal activation of memory B cells offers a means to maintain serological memory for a human lifetime.