T cell-dependent B cell responses generate optimal antibodies to combat foreign antigens. Naïve B cells responding to antigen undergo a complex series of differentiation events and cell fate decisions to provide long-lived memory B cells and plasma cells. Historically, B cell biologists have been challenged by the task of investigating rare antigen-specific B cells in an in vivo setting such that their interactions with antigen, regulation and migration may be accurately tracked. We have developed the SWHEL experimental system capable of accurately monitoring B cells that interact with a protein antigen and then subsequently undergo isotype switching, somatic hypermutation, and affinity maturation within germinal centers (GC) to generate high-affinity antibodies. Here we provide a comprehensive description of the procedures involved in establishing and using the SWHEL system to assess B cell responses to a foreign antigen. This system can provide a valuable measure of the functional capabilities of T follicular helper cells, whose role is ultimately to support and shape long-term humoral immunity.
CITATION STYLE
Brink, R., Paus, D., Bourne, K., Hermes, J. R., Gardam, S., Phan, T. G., & Chan, T. D. (2015). The SWHEL system for high-resolution analysis of in vivo antigen-specific T-dependent B cell responses. Methods in Molecular Biology, 1291, 103–123. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2498-1_9
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