Circulating human IgM expressing memory B cells have been incompletely characterized. Here, we compared the phenotype and in vitro functional response (capacity to proliferate and differentiate to antibody secreting cells) in response to CpG and a cytokine cocktail (IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10) of sorted naïve B cells, IgM memory B cells and isotype-switched circulating memory B cells. Compared to na...

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...

Extensive studies have been undertaken to describe naive B cells differentiating into memory B cells at a cellular and molecular level. However, relatively little is known about the fate of memory B cells upon Ag re-encounter. We have previously established a system based on virus-like particles (VLPs), which allows tracking of VLP-specific B cells by flow cytometry as well as histology. Using ...

Germinal centers (GCs) are generally considered to be the sole site of memory B-cell generation. However, recent studies demonstrate that memory B cells can also develop in response to a T-cell dependent (TD) antigen before the onset, and independently of, the GC reaction. These two classes of memory cells persist equally over long periods of time and attain functional maturation through distin...

Human memory B cells play a vital role in the long-term : Background protection of the host from pathogenic re-challenge. In recent years the importance of a number of different memory B cell subsets that can be formed in response to vaccination or infection has started to become clear. To study memory B cell responses, cells can be cultured allowing for an ex vivo, increase in cell number an...