Editing Memory B cell (section)

{{Short description|Cell of the adaptive immune system}}
{{Other uses|Memory cell (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Original antigenic sin.svg|thumb|220px|right|[[B lymphocytes]] are the cells of the immune system that make antibodies to invading pathogens like viruses. They form memory cells that remember the same pathogen for faster antibody production in future infections.]]

In [[immunology]], a '''memory B cell''' ('''MBC''') is a type of [[B lymphocyte]] that forms part of the [[adaptive immune system]]. These cells develop within [[germinal center]]s of the [[secondary lymphoid organs]]. Memory B cells circulate in the blood stream in a quiescent state, sometimes for decades.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Crotty S, Felgner P, Davies H, Glidewell J, Villarreal L, Ahmed R | title = Cutting edge: long-term B cell memory in humans after smallpox vaccination | journal = Journal of Immunology | volume = 171 | issue = 10 | pages = 4969–4973 | date = November 2003 | pmid = 14607890 | doi = 10.4049/jimmunol.171.10.4969 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Their function is to memorize the characteristics of the [[antigen]] that activated their parent B cell during initial infection such that if the memory B cell later encounters the same [[antigen]], it triggers an accelerated and robust [[secondary immune response]].<ref name=":22">{{cite journal | vauthors = Weisel F, Shlomchik M | title = Memory B Cells of Mice and Humans | journal = Annual Review of Immunology | volume = 35 | issue = 1 | pages = 255–284 | date = April 2017 | pmid = 28142324 | doi = 10.1146/annurev-immunol-041015-055531 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name=":02">{{cite journal | vauthors = Seifert M, Küppers R | title = Human memory B cells | journal = Leukemia | volume = 30 | issue = 12 | pages = 2283–2292 | date = December 2016 | pmid = 27499139 | doi = 10.1038/leu.2016.226 | s2cid = 28936531 }}</ref> Memory B cells have [[B-cell receptor|B cell receptors]] (BCRs) on their cell membrane, identical to the one on their parent cell, that allow them to recognize antigen and mount a specific antibody response.<ref name=":3">{{cite journal | vauthors = Kurosaki T, Kometani K, Ise W | title = Memory B cells | journal = Nature Reviews. Immunology | volume = 15 | issue = 3 | pages = 149–159 | date = March 2015 | pmid = 25677494 | doi = 10.1038/nri3802 | s2cid = 20825732 }}</ref>