Plasma cells are the workhorses of the humoral adaptive immune response. They are vital for our body's response and memory against pathogens. These cells can survive in bone marrow or gut niches for years. However, the guiding molecular of their generation and survival are not fully understood.
An upcoming seminar will focus on uncovering the mysteries behind their long-term survival and their pivotal role in sustaining our body's memory against pathogens. In particular, the seminar will introduce new animal models developed to track the movement of plasma cells in vivo and focus on the B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a putative factor that could play a critical role in maintaining long-lived antibody responses.