BCR-dependent lineage plasticity in mature B cells

Abstract

B1 or B2? The BCR decides Immunological B cells are generally divided into two major subsets. B2 cells generate specific antibodies against foreign antigens in secondary lymphoid organs. B1 cells, found predominantly in the peritoneal and pleural cavities, instead produce “natural” antibodies as part of the innate immune system. Two models to explain this split exist: the “lineage model,” wherein both subsets have distinct progenitors, and the “selection model,” in which fates are directed by different B cell antigen receptors (BCRs). Graf et al. provide support for the selection model using a transgenic system in which BCR specificities can be changed. Mature B2 cells differentiated into functional B1 cells when a self-reactive B1 BCR was swapped in, in the absence of B1 lineage precommitment. Science , this issue p. 748