The microanatomic segregation of selection by apoptosis in the germinal center. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • B cells undergo rapid cell division and affinity maturation in anatomically distinct sites in lymphoid organs called germinal centers (GCs). Homeostasis is maintained in part by B cell apoptosis. However, the precise contribution of apoptosis to GC biology and selection is not well defined. We developed apoptosis-indicator mice and used them to visualize, purify, and characterize dying GC B cells. Apoptosis is prevalent in the GC, with up to half of all GC B cells dying every 6 hours. Moreover, programmed cell death is differentially regulated in the light zone and the dark zone: Light-zone B cells die by default if they are not positively selected, whereas dark-zone cells die when their antigen receptors are damaged by activation-induced cytidine deaminase.

publication date

  • September 21, 2017

Research

keywords

  • Apoptosis
  • B-Lymphocytes
  • Cell Division
  • Germinal Center

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC5957278

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85029760325

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1126/science.aao2602

PubMed ID

  • 28935768

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 358

issue

  • 6360