Homo sapiens Targeted Locus (Loci). Homo sapiens

Memory B cells represent one of the pillars of humoral protection and are found in the circulation and secondary lymphoid organs several decades after initial pathogen or vaccine encounter. The exact cellular and biological mechanisms allowing long-term survival of quiescent cells in such a fluctuating microenvironment remain poorly understood. This BioProject regroups immunoglobulin variable region sequences from single-cell sorted and in vitro cultured human splenic anti-Vaccinia (B5R) memory B cells from individuals that were vaccinated more than forty years prior to sampling. Repertoire and functional analysis demonstrated that a handful of clones with limited intra-clonal diversity and a narrow range of affinity persisted over such an extended period of time.