Germinal centers form in the body’s lymphatic tissues shortly after vaccination or infection. Once inside a germinal center, B cells undergo rapid mutations and, through a process of natural selection, only B cells with antibodies that most effectively bind to their target antigens survive. Figuring out how germinal centers work is critical to understanding immunity and developing more effective vaccines.
A new study “Clonal replacement sustains long-lived germinal centers primed by respiratory viruses” in Cell shows why some germinal centers persist for months rather than weeks, providing insights that could inform future vaccine design.
