Research report 2007 - Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
Self-Tolerance in human B cells
Authors
Wardemann, Hedda
Departments
Molekulare Immunologie (Wardemann) (Dr. Hedda Wardemann)
MPI für Infektionsbiologie, Berlin
Summary
Somatic recombination and somatic hypermutation generate the diversity of the immunoglobulin (Ig) repertoire. Both mechanisms form Ig that recognize foreign antigens and also Ig that react with self-antigens. The frequency at which autoreactive Ig are made and where and when they are regulated to avoid autoimmunity is unclear. The generation of recombinant monoclonal antibodies from single isolated human B cells helps to answer these questions.