Positive selection of IgG+ over IgM+ B cells in the germinal center reaction

Abstract

Positive selection of high-affinity B cells within germinal centers (GCs) drives affinity maturation of antibody responses. Here, we examined the mechanism underlying the parallel transition from immunoglobulin M (IgM) to IgG. Early GCs contained mostly unswitched IgM⁺ B cells; IgG⁺ B cells subsequently increased in frequency, dominating GC responses 14-21 days after antigen challenge. Somatic hypermutation and generation of high-affinity clones occurred with equal efficiency among IgM⁺ and IgG⁺ GC B cells, and inactivation of Ig class-switch recombination did not prevent depletion of IgM⁺ GC B cells. Instead, high-affinity IgG⁺ GC B cells outcompeted high-affinity IgM⁺ GC B cells via a selective advantage associated with IgG antigen receptor structure but independent of the extended cytoplasmic tail. Thus, two parallel forms of GC B-cell-positive selection, based on antigen receptor variable and constant regions, respectively, operate in tandem to ensure high-affinity IgG antibodies predominate in mature serum antibody responses.

Keywords: B cells; IgD; IgG; IgM; antibodies; class switching; constant region; germinal center; heavy chain; positive selection.