Figure 1.

Elimination of autoreactive B cells by central tolerance mechanisms. The development of immature B cells from hematopoietic stem cells is accompanied by the generation of autoreactivity as the result of random variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) recombination. In the bone marrow, a significant proportion of autoreactive immature B cells is reduced at the central tolerance checkpoint. Central tolerance mechanisms include clonal deletion, anergy, and receptor editing. Central tolerance mechanisms are induced dependent on the binding strength between the BCR of immature B cells and self-antigens present in the bone marrow. Immature B cells that have escaped central tolerance mechanisms migrate into the periphery as transitional B cells. Figure was created with BioRender.