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. Plasma cells do not last long in the circulation; this is in contrast to memory cells that last for very long periods of time. Memory cells do not secrete antibodies until activated by their specific antigen.[1][2]
Naive B cells play a key role in predicting humoral responses to COVID-19mRNA vaccines in immunocompromised patients, specifically measuring naive B cell levels could help predict and improve vaccination outcomes.[3]
Notes and references
^Airoldi I, Raffaghello L, Cocco C, et al. (January 2004). "Heterogeneous expression of interleukin-18 and its receptor in B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders deriving from naive, germinal center, and memory B lymphocytes". Clin. Cancer Res. 10 (1 Pt 1): 144–54. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-1026-3. PMID 14734463. S2CID 1413735.
^Lang ML (Aug 2009). "How do natural killer T cells help B cells?". Expert Rev Vaccines. 8 (8): 1109–21. doi:10.1586/erv.09.56. PMC 2747240. PMID 19627191.