Frontiers in Immunology (Dec 2023)

The NFκB signaling system in the generation of B-cell subsets: from germinal center B cells to memory B cells and plasma cells

  • Koushik Roy,
  • Mainak Chakraborty,
  • Ashok Kumar,
  • Asit Kumar Manna,
  • Asit Kumar Manna,
  • Neeladri Sekhar Roy

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1185597
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

Read online

Memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells are the two prime effector B cell populations that drive infection- and vaccine-induced long-term antibody-mediated immunity. The antibody-mediated immunity mostly relies on the formation of specialized structures within secondary lymphoid organs, called germinal centers (GCs), that facilitate the interactions between B cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting cells. Antigen-activated B cells may proliferate and differentiate into GC-independent plasmablasts and memory B cells or differentiate into GC B cells. The GC B cells undergo proliferation coupled to somatic hypermutation of their immunoglobulin genes for antibody affinity maturation. Subsequently, affinity mature GC B cells differentiate into GC-dependent plasma cells and memory B cells. Here, we review how the NFκB signaling system controls B cell proliferation and the generation of GC B cells, plasmablasts/plasma cells, and memory B cells. We also identify and discuss some important unanswered questions in this connection.

Keywords