Asymmetric B Cell Division in the Germinal Center Reaction
Abstract
During an adaptive immune response, B lymphocytes rapidly divide and differentiate into effector cell populations, including antibody-secreting plasmablasts and memory B cells. Many also change the class of antibody they secrete, through a process called isotype switching. During this process, some cells die. Whether cells acquire these different fates in a stochastic or programmed manner, however, is unclear. Duffy et al. (p. 338 , published online 5 January) used single-cell tracking to determine the times to division, differentiation into a plasmablast, isotype switching, and death of stimulated B lymphocytes. Statistical analysis and mathematical modeling revealed that these cell-fate decisions appear to be the result of random clocks: Which clock went off first (division, differentiation, or death), determined the fate of the cell. Barnett et al. (p. 342 , published online 15 December) sought to determine whether asymmetrical cell division, which is thought to contribute to effector cell-fate decisions in T cells, may be at work in B lymphocytes. Indeed, factors important for the initiation and maintenance of germinal center B lymphocyte identity, along with an ancestral polarity protein, were asymmetrically distributed and maintained their asymmetry during cell division.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 20, 2012
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.1213495
Entities
People
- Burton E. Barnett
- Janis K. Burkhardt
- Junmin Wu
- Lisa G. Barnett
- Maria L. Ciocca
- Michael P Cancro
- Radhika Goenka
- Steven L. Reiner
- Terri M. Laufer
Organizations
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- National Institutes of Health
- United States Department of Defense
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- University of Pennsylvania