Memory B Cell Markers

Overview

Memory B cells and plasma cells are two populations of B cells that contribute to immunological memory. Following antigen exposure, a population of naïve B cells differentiates into short-lived plasma cells, and a second population migrates to the B cell follicle. Here, activated naïve B cells seed a germinal center, where they differentiate into memory B cells that can rapidly differentiate into plasma cells after antigen re-exposure. Both human and mouse memory B cells are heterogeneous cell populations. In mice, CD19, CD80, CD73, and PD-L2/CD273 are commonly used to identify memory B cells. Differential expression of these markers suggests that there are at least five distinct mouse memory B cell subsets. In humans, memory B cells are commonly identified by expression of CD27, coupled with low level expression of CD23/Fc epsilon RI, and lack of expression of the plasma cell marker, Syndecan-1/CD138. DEP-1/CD148 is also frequently used to identify human memory B cells, as are high level expression of B7-1/CD80, B7-2/CD86, and CD95. Notably, some populations of CD27^- memory B cells in human spleen, tonsil, and blood have also been described, and thus, no marker has been identified that can be used to positively identify all memory B cells. Human memory B cells have historically been defined as IgD^- cells, but in the blood and bone marrow, three subsets of circulating memory B cells have been described that are either IgD⁺IgM⁺, IgD⁺IgM^-, or IgD^-IgM⁺, also known as IgM-only memory cells.

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