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Scientists have uncovered the mystery of the human immune system. According to the scientists this finding could be used for helping the body to improve its response to vaccination.
When the people develop a viral or a microbial infection, the body starts generating antibodies. The cells which generate the antibodies, the B cells, are quickly faced with a choice about the direction they will take in life.
Some make high quality antibodies over a period of several weeks. Others churn out low quality antibodies, and in turn, sacrificing quality for speed. Till now, no one has understood the phenomenon by which the choice is made by the B cells.
A group of international scientists which was led by Garvan Institute of Medical Research has demonstrated in mice that the determining factor is the presence or absence of cell surface receptor, EBI2.
"We have billions of B cells in our bodies, each with the ability to make antibodies against different microbes. However, only a very small fraction of B cells are going to be useful against any single infection, as only a few will have antibodies that roughly match it.
"There was evidence to suggest that when B cells went to germinal centres to make high affinity antibodies, they lost EBI2 receptor," team leader Robert Brink said.
