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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences logoLink to Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
. 2000 Mar 29;355(1395):351–355. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2000.0572

Role of B cells in maintaining helper T-cell memory.

D van Essen 1, P Dullforce 1, D Gray 1
PMCID: PMC1692748  PMID: 10794053

Abstract

The cellular interactions involved in maintaining CD4+ T-cell memory have hitherto not been identified. In this report, we have investigated the role played by B cells in this process. We show that that long-lasting helper T-cell memory depends on the presence of B cells, but that direct antigen presentation by B cells is not required. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms which underlie helper T-cell memory. They also suggest that the efficacy of future vaccines will depend critically on the inclusion of B- as well as T-cell epitopes.

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Selected References

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