IL21, B-cell Proliferation and the Mechanism of Memory Formation

我们的免疫系统可以‘记住’旧的感染，这就是为什么我们不会多次感染相同的病原体，也是为什么疫苗有效。这种保护在很大程度上是由于记忆B细胞，其中有不同种类的B细胞。我们认为，不同的记忆B细胞亚群具有不同的功能，了解它们是如何产生的以及如何控制将有助于我们改善对关键感染-艾滋病毒、流感-以及关键患者群体-老年人和移植接受者-的反应。

Our immune system can ‘remember’ old infections, which is why we do not suffer from the same pathogen multiple times and why vaccines work. Much of this protection is due to memory B-cells, of which there are different kinds. We think the different memory B-cell subsets have different functions and understanding how they are made and how this is controlled will help us improve responses to critical infections – HIV, Flu – and in critical patient groups – aged people and transplant recipients.