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J. Exp. Med.,
Volume 189, Number 5, March 1, 1999 855-864
By
From the * Section of Immunobiology and § Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School
of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8011
Follicular dendritic cell networks are said to be pivotal to both the formation of germinal centers (GCs) and their functions in generating antigen-specific antibody affinity maturation and B
cell memory. We report that lymphotoxin 
-deficient mice form GC cell clusters in the gross
anatomical location expected of GCs, despite the complete absence of follicular dendritic cell networks. Furthermore, antigen-specific GC generation was at first relatively normal, but these
GCs then rapidly regressed and GC-phase antibody affinity maturation was reduced. Lymphotoxin -deficient mice also showed substantial B cell memory in their mesenteric lymph
nodes. This memory antibody response was of relatively low affinity for antigen at week 4 after
challenge, but by week 10 after challenge was comparable to wild-type, indicating that affinity maturation had failed in the GC phase but developed later.
;
knockout mice;
follicular dendritic cells;
germinal centers;
B cell memory
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