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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Immunol Rev. 2019 Mar;288(1):128–135. doi: 10.1111/imr.12754

Figure 1. Multiple pathways feed the long-lived plasma cell pool.

Figure 1.

T-dependent plasma cells that arise from GC reactions typically produce high-affinity class switched antibody. T-independent plasma cell responses can arise from multiple sources of stimulation including from B cells primed to respond rapidly like B1 and marginal zone B cells, from TLR or foreign antigens that stimulate B cells in the absence of a GC, or from commensal bacteria in the mucosal tissues. The resulting antibody from T-independent plasma cell responses is typically low-affinity and not class-switched, with the exception of mucosal derived plasma cells that switch to IgA. All of these sources of plasma cells are capable of seeding the long-lived plasma cell niches that include the spleen, bone marrow, and gut.