Abstract
Human marginal zone (MZ) B cells are, in a sense, a new entity. Although they share many properties with their mouse counterpart, they also display striking differences, such as the capacity to recirculate and the presence of somatic mutations in their B cell receptor. These differences are the reason they are often not considered a separate, rodent-like B cell lineage, but rather are considered IgM memory B cells. We review here our present knowledge concerning this subset and the arguments in favor of the proposition that humans have evolved for their MZ B cell compartment a separate B cell population that develops and diversifies its Ig receptor during ontogeny outside T-dependent or T-independent immune responses.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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B-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
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B-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism
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Gene Rearrangement
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Humans
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Hyper-IgM Immunodeficiency Syndrome / immunology
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Hyper-IgM Immunodeficiency Syndrome / metabolism
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Immunoglobulin D / immunology
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Immunoglobulin D / metabolism
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Immunoglobulin M / immunology
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Immunoglobulin M / metabolism
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Immunologic Memory
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Lymphoid Tissue / immunology*
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Lymphoid Tissue / metabolism
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Mice
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Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / immunology
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Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / metabolism
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Toll-Like Receptors / immunology
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Toll-Like Receptors / metabolism
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Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 / immunology
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Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 / metabolism
Substances
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Immunoglobulin D
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Immunoglobulin M
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Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell
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Toll-Like Receptors
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Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7