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B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell of the lymphocyte subtype. [1] They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system. [1] B cells produce antibody molecules which may be either secreted or inserted into the plasma membrane where they serve as a part of B-cell receptors. [2]
T-independent memory B cells are a subset called B1 cells. These cells generally reside in the peritoneal cavity. When reintroduced to antigen, some of these B1 cells can differentiate into memory B cells without interacting with a T cell. [4] These B cells produce IgM antibodies to help clear infection. [20] T-bet memory B cells
In immunology, a naive B cell is a B cell that has not been exposed to an antigen. These are located in the tonsils , spleen , and primary lymphoid follicles in lymph nodes . Once exposed to an antigen , the naive B cell either becomes a memory B cell or a plasma cell that secretes antibodies specific to the antigen that was originally bound.
Germinal center B cells may differentiate into memory B cells or plasma cells. Most of these B cells will become plasmablasts (or "immature plasma cells"), and eventually plasma cells, and begin producing large volumes of antibodies. Some B cells will undergo a process known as affinity maturation. [9]
The immune system may respond in multiple ways to an antigen; a key feature of this response is the production of antibodies by B cells (or B lymphocytes) involving an arm of the immune system known as humoral immunity. The antibodies are soluble and do not require direct cell-to-cell contact between the pathogen and the B-cell to function.
• B cells lymphocytes that ultimately produce antibodies • bone marrow the center of bones capable of producing all red and white blood cells in the adult • cortex the outer portion of any organ • cytoplasm the portion of a cell between the nucleus and the membrane
The most common simplified overview description of the B cell differentiation pathway involves the following steps: an antigen interacts with the corresponding surface membrane immunoglobulin after which the B cell begins expressing receptors for growth factors secreted by T cells (BCGFs and IL-2), after these factors bind, the lymphocytes ...
B cell activation follows engagement of the cell-bound antibody molecule with an antigen, causing the cell to divide and differentiate into an antibody-producing cell called a plasma cell. In this activated form, the B cell starts to produce antibody in a secreted form rather than a membrane-bound form.