Germinal Centers

2022/02/03 by Gabriel D. Victora, Michel C. Nussenzweig · 24 citations
Immunology and Microbiology · #Immune Cell Function and Interaction #Immunotherapy and Immune Responses #T-cell and B-cell Immunology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1146/annurev-immunol-120419-022408

openalex publication_date 2022/02/03 · openalex created_date 2022/02/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Germinal centers (GCs) are microanatomical sites of B cell clonal expansion and antibody affinity maturation. Therein, B cells undergo the Darwinian process of somatic diversification and affinity-driven selection of immunoglobulins that produces the high-affinity antibodies essential for effective humoral immunity. Here, we review recent developments in the field of GC biology, primarily as it pertains to GCs induced by infection or immunization. First, we summarize the phenotype and function of the different cell types that compose the GC, focusing on GC B cells. Then, we review the cellular and molecular bases of affinity-dependent selection within the GC and the export of memory and plasma cells. Finally, we present an overview of the emerging field of GC clonal dynamics, focusing on how GC and post-GC selection shapes the diversity of antibodies secreted into serum.

Citations

• Impaired uptake of apoptotic cells into tingible body macrophages in germinal centers of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
• BCL6 orchestrates Tfh cell differentiation via multiple distinct mechanisms
• Generation of memory B cells and their reactivation

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• Deciphering the Human Germinal Center: A Review of Models to Study T–B Cell Interactions
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• A distinct priming phase regulates CD8 T cell immunity by orchestrating paracrine IL-2 signals
• Serial intravital microscopy reveals temporal dynamics of autoreactive germinal centers in the spleen
• Advancing Antibody Engineering through Synthetic Evolution and Machine Learning
• Sequential class switching generates antigen-specific gut IgA from IgG1 B cells
• Signaling Activation and Modulation in Extrafollicular B Cell Responses
• Cellular and molecular determinants mediating the dysregulated germinal center immune dynamics in systemic lupus erythematosus
• DNA origami vaccines program antigen-focused germinal centers
• Dynamics of memory B cells and plasmablasts in healthy individuals
• Quantifying the waning of humoral immunity
• Synergy and antagonism in the integration of BCR and CD40 signals that control B-cell population expansion
• Could tolerance to DNA be broken in the gut in systemic lupus erythematosus?
• Transforming vaccinology
• Different responses involving Tfh cells delay parasite-specific antibody production in Trypanosoma cruzi acute experimental models
• Affinity-matured B cell responses neutralizing type-I interferons underlie severe viral infections
• Antibody-mediated feedback modulates interclonal competition in the germinal center
• Variations in the germinal center response revealed by genetically diverse mouse strains
• Dietary supplementation of arachidonic acid promotes humoral immunity
• Distinct components of mRNA vaccines cooperate to instruct efficient germinal center responses
• An amphipol‐stabilized multi‐pass transmembrane protein as an immunogen to generate mouse memory B cells against native VMAT 2
• Immunological memory diversity in the human upper airway
• A glycan-based adjuvant expands the breadth and duration of protection of mRNA-based vaccines

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