| First Author | Yeh CH | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 928 |
| PubMed ID | 29500348 | Mgi Jnum | J:265746 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6149311 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-018-03382-x |
| Citation | Yeh CH, et al. (2018) Germinal center entry not selection of B cells is controlled by peptide-MHCII complex density. Nat Commun 9(1):928 |
| abstractText | B cells expressing high affinity antigen receptors are advantaged in germinal centers (GC), perhaps by increased acquisition of antigen for presentation to follicular helper T cells and improved T-cell help. In this model for affinity-dependent selection, the density of peptide/MHCII (pMHCII) complexes on GC B cells is the primary determinant of selection. Here we show in chimeric mice populated by B cells differing only in their capacity to express MHCII (MHCII(+/+) and MHCII(+/-)) that GC selection is insensitive to halving pMHCII density. Alone, both B cell types generate identical humoral responses; in competition, MHCII(+/+) B cells are preferentially recruited to early GCs but this advantage does not persist once GCs are established. During GC responses, competing MHCII(+/+) and MHCII(+/-) GC B cells comparably accumulate mutations and have indistinguishable rates of affinity maturation. We conclude that B-cell selection by pMHCII density is stringent in the establishment of GCs, but relaxed during GC responses. |
