Insights That—unlike Serum Antibodies—Memory B Cells Can Provide

Dear Colleagues,

For decades, measurements of serum antibodies have been accepted as sufficient in identifying whether an immune response against a pathogen or auto/tumor antigen has become engaged. The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how unreliable this marker is; however, all immune diagnoses still rely on it. At present, we know that serum antibodies can be just a rapidly fading reflection of the recent past and that studies of long-living memory B cells will more reliably reveal the engagement of acquired host defense. Unlike serum antibodies that are prone to protecting only against the homotypic antigen variants (against which the past immune response has been induced), a major role of memory B cells is to enable anamnestic responses against related heterotypic antigen variants. Studies of memory B cell cross-reactivity are thus important for achieving a better understanding of immune protection. Affinities of memory B cells, for homo- and heterotypic antigens, will largely define the efficacy of secondary antibody responses. Therefore, fundamental insights into host defense could be gained by studying memory B cells; however, technical limitations in detecting rare antigen-specific memory B cells prevent rapid progress. This Special Issue invites pioneering technological and conceptual contributions to this field. Submissions that demonstrate the presence of B cell memory in the absence of detectable serum antibodies, drawing attention to the need to include memory B cells in the immune monitoring repertoire, are encouraged.

Dr. Paul V. Lehmann
Dr. Greg A. Kirchenbaum
Guest Editors

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• B cell
• memory B cells
• ELISPOT
• FluoroSpot
• ImmunoSpot
• antigen labeling
• limiting dilution analysis
• B cell cross-reactivity
• B cell affinity
• B cell affinity maturation
• B cell immunity
• serum antibodies
• immune memory
• infectious diseases
• autoimmune diseases
• cancer immunotherapy

• Advances in Immune Monitoring in Cells (25 articles)

Title: A hemagglutinin-specific Igl bias in early plasmablast populations results in an Igl serum bias during influenza virus infections in ferrets
Authors: Robert A. Richardson and Ted M. Ross
Affiliation: University of Georgia and Florida Research and Innovation Center-Cleveland Clinic
Abstract: N/A