The BAFFling persistence of memory B cells

The persistence of memory: a unique niche for IgG memory B cells.

T he concept of immunologic memory has been documented since ancient times. Indeed, in 450 BC, the Greek historian Thuydices observed that those who had survived a disease were most apt to visit the newly stricken, because “[they] knew it was from experience, and had now no fear for themselves, for the same man was never attacked twice.” Despite this longstanding appreciation, the mechanisms re...

Cathepsin B controls the persistence of memory CD8+ T lymphocytes.

The persistence of memory T lymphocytes confers lifelong protection from pathogens. Memory T cells survive and undergo homeostatic proliferation (HSP) in the absence of Ag, although the cell-intrinsic mechanisms by which cytokines drive the HSP of memory T cells are not well understood. In this study we report that lysosome stability limits the long-term maintenance of memory CD8(+) T cell popu...

The BAFFling function of Syk in B-cell homeostasis.

The TNF receptor family member BAFFR is essential for providing mature B cells with pro-survival signals and has recently been claimed to transduce these, though not exclusively, via a Syk-dependent signaling hub that feeds into ERK/AKT activation. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Hobeika et al (2015) describe a synergistic prosurvival scenario involving BAFFR and CD19, which remains function...

Requirement for autophagy in the long-term persistence but not initial formation of memory B cells.

Autophagy is required for the long-term maintenance of Ag-specific memory B cells. However, whether autophagy is also important for the initial formation of memory B cells remains unclear. In this study, we show that newly generated memory B cells do not display active autophagy but are capable of forming Ab-secreting cells after rechallenge with Ags. Increases in autophagy took place over time...

The Persistence of Memory