Editing Memory B cell (section)

== Lifespan ==
Memory B cells can survive for decades, which gives them the capacity to respond to multiple exposures to the same antigen.<ref name=":02" /> The long-lasting survival is hypothesized to be a result of certain anti-apoptosis genes that are more highly expressed in memory B cells than other subsets of B cells.<ref name=":12" /> Additionally, the memory B cell does not need to have continual interaction with the antigen nor with T cells in order to survive long-term.<ref name=":3"/>

However, it is true that the lifespan of individual memory B cells remains poorly defined, although they have a critical role in long-term immunity. In one study using a [[B-cell receptor|B cell receptor]] (BCR) transgenic system (it was a H chain transgenic mouse model which lacked secreted Ig, so it didn´t deposit Ag-containing immune complexes), it was shown that the number of memory B cells remain constant for a period of around 8–20 weeks after the immunization. It was also estimated that the [[half-life]] of memory B cells was between 8–10 weeks, after doing an experiment in which the cells were treated in vivo with [[bromodeoxyuridine]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Anderson SM, Hannum LG, Shlomchik MJ | title = Memory B cell survival and function in the absence of secreted antibody and immune complexes on follicular dendritic cells | journal = Journal of Immunology | volume = 176 | issue = 8 | pages = 4515–4519 | date = April 2006 | pmid = 16585539 | doi = 10.4049/jimmunol.176.8.4515 | s2cid = 85927231 | doi-access = free }}</ref> In other experiments in mouse, it has been shown that the lifespan of memory B cells is at least 9 times greater than the lifespan of a follicular naïve B cell.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jones DD, Wilmore JR, Allman D | title = Cellular Dynamics of Memory B Cell Populations: IgM+ and IgG+ Memory B Cells Persist Indefinitely as Quiescent Cells | journal = Journal of Immunology | volume = 195 | issue = 10 | pages = 4753–4759 | date = November 2015 | pmid = 26438523 | pmc = 4637268 | doi = 10.4049/jimmunol.1501365 }}</ref>