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T and B Cells’ Intricate Molecular Dance

Live-cell imaging in mice reveals the molecular details of B cell selection in germinal centers. Generating high-affinity antibodies to fight infection is no easy task. To do so requires multiple steps, including T cells interacting with antibody-producing B cells in lymph nodes. These interactions select B cells expressing high-affinity antibodies for further proliferation, ensuring that the immune response generates high-affinity antibodies in large quantities. Shulman et al. use fluorescent live-cell imaging in mice to determine the molecular details of these interactions. They find that T cells engage B cells in short-lived mobile contacts during selection. These contacts cause T cells to flux calcium and produce proteins called cytokines, which probably drive B cells to proliferate and produce high-affinity antibodies. Z. Shulman, A. D. Gitlin, J. S. Weinstein, B. Lainez, E. Esplugues, R. A. Flavell, J. E. Craft, M. C. Nussenzweig, Dynamic signaling by T follicular helper cells during germinal center B cell selection. Science 345, 1058–1062 (2014). [Abstract] [Full Text]