Compartments and Connections Within the Germinal Center

Abstract

Protective high affinity antibody responses emerge through an orchestrated developmental process that occurs in germinal centers (GCs). While GCs have been appreciated since 1930, a wealth of recent progress provides new insights into the molecular and cellular dynamics governing humoral immunity. In this review, we highlight advances that demonstrate that fundamental GC B cell function, selection, proliferation and SHM occur within distinct cell states. The resulting new model provides new opportunities to understand the evolution of immunity in infectious, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases.

Keywords: B cell; T cell help; affinity maturation; epigenetics; germinal center; somatic hypermutation; tingible body macrophage; transcription.