TY - JOUR
T1 - Regulation of memory antibody levels
T2 - The role of persisting antigen versus plasma cell life span
AU - Gatto, Dominique
AU - Martin, Stephen W.
AU - Bessa, Juliana
AU - Pellicioli, Erica
AU - Saudan, Philippe
AU - Hinton, Heather J.
AU - Bachmann, Martin F.
PY - 2007/1/1
Y1 - 2007/1/1
N2 - Protective Ab levels can be maintained for years upon infection or vaccination. In this study, we studied the duration of Ab responses as a function of the life span of plasma cells and tested the role of persisting Ag in maintaining B cell memory. Our analysis of B cell responses induced in mice immunized with virus-like particles demonstrates the following: 1) Ab titers are long-lived, but decline continuously with a t1/2 of ∼80 days, which corresponds to the life span of plasma cells; 2) the germinal center (GC) reaction, which lasts for up to 100 days, is dependent on Ag associated with follicular dendritic cells; and 3) early GCs produce massive numbers of plasma and memory B cell precursors, whereas the late Ag-dependent GCs are dispensable for the maintenance of Ab levels and B cell memory.
AB - Protective Ab levels can be maintained for years upon infection or vaccination. In this study, we studied the duration of Ab responses as a function of the life span of plasma cells and tested the role of persisting Ag in maintaining B cell memory. Our analysis of B cell responses induced in mice immunized with virus-like particles demonstrates the following: 1) Ab titers are long-lived, but decline continuously with a t1/2 of ∼80 days, which corresponds to the life span of plasma cells; 2) the germinal center (GC) reaction, which lasts for up to 100 days, is dependent on Ag associated with follicular dendritic cells; and 3) early GCs produce massive numbers of plasma and memory B cell precursors, whereas the late Ag-dependent GCs are dispensable for the maintenance of Ab levels and B cell memory.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33845949142&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4049/jimmunol.178.1.67
DO - 10.4049/jimmunol.178.1.67
M3 - Article
C2 - 17182541
AN - SCOPUS:33845949142
SN - 0022-1767
VL - 178
SP - 67
EP - 76
JO - Journal of Immunology
JF - Journal of Immunology
IS - 1
ER -