Local antibody feedback enforces a checkpoint on affinity maturation in the germinal center and promotes epitope spreading - PubMed
7 days ago
- #affinity maturation
- #germinal center
- #B cell
- Local antibody feedback influences germinal center (GC) responses by enforcing a checkpoint on affinity maturation.
- High-affinity B cells have shorter GC residency compared to lower-affinity B cells.
- Higher-affinity B cell clones suppress lower-affinity ones targeting the same epitope.
- Plasma-like cells and early IgG are detected in and around the GC, indicating local antibody production.
- The feedback loop promotes epitope spreading by redirecting immune responses to alternative epitopes.
- The study uses mRNA-LNP-encoded membrane-bound immunogens displaying HIV-1 Env epitopes in mouse models.