AI Article Synopsis
- B cells collect and present antigens to T cells during humoral immune responses, maintaining a polarized distribution of these antigens in their structure over time.
- This polarization persists even as B cells divide, resulting in daughter cells inheriting different amounts of antigen, a phenomenon known as asymmetric antigen segregation.
- Daughter cells with larger antigen stores can activate T cells more effectively, which may impact their future capabilities in processes like somatic hypermutation and class switching during affinity maturation.
Article Abstract
During the activation of humoral immune responses, B cells acquire antigen for subsequent presentation to cognate T cells. Here we show that after mouse B cells accumulate antigen, it is maintained in a polarized distribution for extended periods in vivo. Using high-throughput imaging flow cytometry, we observed that this polarization is preserved during B cell division, promoting asymmetric antigen segregation among progeny. Antigen inheritance correlates with the ability of progeny to activate T cells: Daughter cells receiving larger antigen stores exhibit a prolonged capacity to present antigen, which renders them more effective in competing for T cell help. The generation of progeny with differential capacities for antigen presentation may have implications for somatic hypermutation and class switching during affinity maturation and as B cells commit to effector cell fates.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1214100 | DOI Listing |
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