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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Aug 18.
Published in final edited form as: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Feb;125(2 Suppl 2):S3–23. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.12.980

Figure 8. B Cell Differentiation and Development.

Figure 8

B cells differentiate in the bone marrow from stem cells to become mature surface IgM and IgD expressing cells. This occurs in the absence of antigen. In peripheral lymphoid tissues, the B cell can then mature further under the influence of antigen and T cell help to undergo isotype switching and affinity maturation by somatic mutation. The factors controlling the final differentiation from antibody-secreting B cell to plasma cell are incompletely characterized, but require the participation of the transcription factors Blimp1, Xbp1 and IRF4. Correlations are show between the stage of cell differentiation and the expression of key molecules in the cell (TdT, RAG1/RAG2, cytoplasmic μ) and on the cell surface (class II, CD19, CD21, CD25, CD45, and surface Ig). Modified with permission from Huston.114