| First Author | Maruyama M | Year | 2000 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 407 |
| Issue | 6804 | Pages | 636-42 |
| PubMed ID | 11034213 | Mgi Jnum | J:111654 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3654652 | Doi | 10.1038/35036600 |
| Citation | Maruyama M, et al. (2000) Memory B-cell persistence is independent of persisting immunizing antigen. Nature 407(6804):636-42 |
| abstractText | Immunological memory in the antibody system is generated in T-cell-dependent responses and carried by long-lived memory B cells that recognize antigen by high-affinity antibodies. But it remains controversial whether these B cells represent true 'memory' cells (that is, their maintenance is independent of the immunizing antigen), or whether they are a product of a chronic immune response driven by the immunizing antigen, which can be retained in the organism for extended time periods on the surface of specialized antigen-presenting cells (follicular dendritic cells). Cell transfer experiments provided evidence in favour of a role of the immunizing antigen; however, analysis of memory cells in intact animals, which showed that these cells are mostly resting and can persist in the absence of detectable T-cell help or follicular dendritic cells, argued against it. Here we show, by using a genetic switch mediated by Cre recombinase, that memory B cells switching their antibody specificity away from the immunizing antigen are indeed maintained in the animal over long periods of time, similar to cells retaining their original antigen-binding specificity. |
