B cells are responsible for producing and releasing antibodies to specific antigens, and hence, are an essential component of the humoral immune response.

B cells are mediators of the humoral response, or antibody-mediated immunity. By studying this particular cell group we learn more about the inner workings of the immune system, which consequently increases our awareness of the possible causes behind a variety of autoimmune disorders and cancers. Broad immunological research unlocks valuable insight of what future steps might be taken to treat these pathologies.

Development from stem cell to B cell

Generation of the B cell begins in the bone marrow where stem cells give rise to lymphoid cells. Throughout each stage of development the antibody locus— a site where an antigen interacts with the cell— undergoes genetic recombination. This recombination is specific to the developmental stage of the B cell. Development starts with the pro-B cell, which expresses Igα and Igβ. The cell matures further into the pre-B cell that expresses the pre-B cell receptor (Igμ) on its surface. Maturation in the bone marrow ends with the naïve B cell that expresses the B cell receptor (containing IgM and IgD) capable of recognizing an antigen. These cells then leave the bone marrow and enter the periphery (Cambier JC, et al. Nat Rev Immunol. 2007).

Subtypes of conventional B cells

Conventional B cells, also referred to as B-2 cells, terminally differentiate into one of two common subtypes upon activation:

  • Plasma B cells: a plasma cell is the sentry of the immune system. The naïve B cell circulates throughout the body. When it encounters a unique antigen, the plasma cell takes in the antigen through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Antigenic particles are transferred to the cell surface, loaded onto MHC II molecules and presented to a helper T cell. The binding of the helper T cell to the MHC II-antigen complex activates the B cell. The activated B cell goes through a period of rapid proliferation and somatic hypermutation. Selection occurs for those cells that produce antibodies with a high affinity for that particular antigen. Once terminally differentiated, the plasma B cell only secretes antibodies specific for that antigen and can no longer generate antibodies to other antigens.
  • Memory B cells: memory cells are held in reserve, in the germinal centers of the lymphatic system, for when the immune system re-encounters a specific antigen. During any repeat exposure the follicular helper T cell causes the memory cell to differentiate into a plasma B cell that has a greater sensitivity to that specific antigen. This jump-starts the immune system to mount a quicker, more powerful response than was possible previously.

Other B cell subtypes include:

  • B-1 cells: a minor subtype, only about 5% in humans, of self-renewing fetal B cells that act in a similar fashion to plasma cells. B-1 cells are primarily present during fetal and neonatal life.
  • Marginal zone (MZ) B cells: mature memory B cells that are found only in the marginal zone of the spleen. These cells can be activated through toll-like receptor-ligation and not necessarily through the B cell receptor.
  • Follicular (FO) B cells: these are mature, but inactive, B cells. This subset of B cells is primarily found in the follicles of the spleen and lymph nodes. Activation of these cells requires the aid of T cells. FO B cells can differentiate into either plasma or memory B cells.
  • Regulatory B (Breg) cells: Breg cells negatively regulate the strength of the immune response and inflammation by secreting chemical messages called cytokines, such as IL-10. Although these cells make up a small portion of the B cell population (~0.5% in humans), it is thought that loss of functional Breg cells contributes to autoimmune disorders.
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Immunophenotyping of B cells through flow cytometry

Immature B cells express CD19, CD 20, CD34, CD38, and CD45R, but not IgM. For most mature B cells the key markers include IgM and CD19, a protein receptor for antigens (Kaminski DA. Front Immunol. 2012). Activated B cells express CD30, a regulator of apoptosis. Plasma B cells lose CD19 expression, but gain CD78, which is used to quantify these cells. Memory B cells can be immunophenotyped using CD20 and CD40 expression. The cells can be further categorized using CD80 and PDL-2 regardless of the type of immunoglobulin present on the cell surface (Zuccarino-Catania GV et al. Nat Immunol. 2014.). Globally, cytokines (such as interlukein-10) and chemokines involved with chemokine receptor 3 play an important role in transmitting the biological messages to drive the immune response.

 

B-Cell Marker BLCAM
B-Cell Marker BLCAM

A table of common B cell subtypes with some cell markers which can be useful for flow cytometry:

B Cell Type Marker Cellular localization
B cell (all except plasma cell) IgM, CD19 Secreted
Activated B cell CD19, CD25, CD30 Secreted
Plasma cell IgG, CD27, CD38, CD78, CD138, CD319 Secreted
Plasma cell IL-6 Secreted (cytokine)
Plasma cell CD138 Cell membrane
Memory cell IgA, IgG, IgE, CD20, CD27, CD40, CD80, PDL-2 Secreted
Memory cell CXCR3, CXCR4, CXCR5, CXCR6 Secreted (chemokines)
Marginal zone B cells CD1, CD21, CD27 Secreted
Marginal zone B cells Notch2 Cell membrane
Follicular B cells IgD, CD21, CD22, CD23 Secreted
Regulatory B cells IgD, CD1, CD5, CD21, CD24, TLR4 Secreted
Regulatory B cells IL-10, TGFβ Secreted (cytokines)

 

The immune system consists of many different cell types, whose functions and interactions govern the immune response. In research, the specific composition of cell surface antigens is exploited to accurately define the different cell types. Immunophenotyping by flow cytometry is the most common method to identify, quantify, and isolate immune cells within mixed populations. However, selecting which antigens are best to identify a specific cell type can be challenging due to the vast number of research articles and lack of consensus around immunophenotyping panels.

In response to this issue, we have reviewed over 250 research articles studying human and mouse cells and compiled the most commonly used markers for each immune cell type. With this selection, you can quickly and easily build your own immunophenotyping panel, freeing up more of your time for research.

Immune cell markers

Many immune cell markers are named following the clusters of differentiation (CD) nomenclature, aimed at providing targets for cell immunophenotyping. In the table below we have summarized the relevant CD markers for the identification and quantification of both human and mouse immune cells.

For each CD marker, we strive to provide antibodies tested in several applications to guarantee sensitivity and specificity. Please see example data below for WB, ICC, IHC, and flow cytometry with our recombinant anti-integrin alpha 5 antibody (ab150361). Find out more about recombinant antibodies.

ELISA PLATE READER : MICRO READ 1000

1000 Global Diagnostics B 1 unit 2628 EUR

ELISA PLATE SHAKER : MICRO SHAKE 1200

1200 Global Diagnostics B 1 unit 916.8 EUR

ELISA PLATE WASHER : MICRO WASH 1100

1100 Global Diagnostics B 1 unit 2403.6 EUR

Dendritic Cells/B Cells Antibody

abx412775-02mg Abbexa 0.2 mg 678 EUR

Rat Pan B Cells antibody

10R-B124a Fitzgerald 50 ug 910.8 EUR

Human Cord Blood CD19+ B Cells

CBCD19-C2.5M 101Bio 2.5 million 906 EUR

Human Cord Blood CD19+ B Cells

CBCD19-C5M 101Bio 5 million 1078.8 EUR

Human Cord Blood CD19+ B Cells

CBCD19-F5M 101Bio 5 million 1198.8 EUR

Human B lymphocyte / GFP Stable Cells

SC060-G GenTarget 2 x 106 cell/ml x 1ml 2670 EUR

Human B lymphocyte / RFP Stable Cells

SC060-R GenTarget 2 x 106 cell/ml x 1ml 2670 EUR

Streptococcus Group B protein (inactivated cells)

30-AS86 Fitzgerald 1 ml 236.4 EUR

Human B lymphocyte (Luciferase / GFP) Stable Cells

SC060-LG GenTarget 2 x 106 cell/ml x 1ml 3540 EUR

Human B lymphocyte (Luciferase / RFP) Stable Cells

SC060-LR GenTarget 2 x 106 cell/ml x 1ml 3540 EUR

anti-IgM Heavy chain expressed on B cells

522-A-01mg Virogen 0,1 mg 321 EUR

anti-IgM Heavy chain expressed on B cells

522-A-1000ug Virogen 1000 ug 1539 EUR

anti-IgM Heavy chain expressed on B cells

522-A-100ugvial Virogen 100 ug/vial 150 EUR

5637 cells

C0002001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 582 EUR

FO cells

C0003017 Addexbio One Frozen vial 582 EUR

K1 cells

C0025003 Addexbio One Frozen vial 792 EUR

RD cells

C0035001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

A9 cells

P0011007 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

BJ cells

P0020005 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

ST cells

P0028002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

RS4;11 cells

C0003012 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

REH cells

C0003031 Addexbio One Frozen vial 582 EUR

4T1 cells

C0006004 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

T84 cells

C0009008 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

RKO cells

C0009012 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H23 cells

C0016005 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H69 cells

C0016065 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H82 cells

C0016066 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

A10.7 cells

C0018006 Addexbio One Frozen vial 792 EUR

C32 cells

C0020002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

N87 cells

C0023002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

AGS cells

C0023004 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

R2C cells

C0028001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

Y79 cells

C0029001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

NB3 cells

C0033003 Addexbio One Frozen vial 792 EUR

STO cells

P0011006 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

TM3 cells

T0028002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

MB49 cells

C0002004 Addexbio One Frozen vial 932.4 EUR

K562 cells

C0003004 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

U937 cells

C0003005 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

Raji cells

C0003009 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

BJAB cells

C0003016 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

Mino cells

C0003033 Addexbio One Frozen vial 582 EUR

B103 cells

C0005003 Addexbio One Frozen vial 932.4 EUR

T47D cells

C0006001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

HeLa cells

C0008001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

SiHa cells

C0008002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

C33A cells

C0008003 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

LoVo cells

C0009011 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

SW48 cells

C0009014 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H716 cells

C0009022 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

OE33 cells

C0013003 Addexbio One Frozen vial 792 EUR

A549 cells

C0016002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H460 cells

C0016003 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

A427 cells

C0016004 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H520 cells

C0016010 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H226 cells

C0016011 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H358 cells

C0016016 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H441 cells

C0016019 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H596 cells

C0016020 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H526 cells

C0016052 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H446 cells

C0016054 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

H187 cells

C0016061 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H209 cells

C0016063 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H847 cells

C0016067 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

H660 cells

C0016068 Addexbio One Frozen vial 834 EUR

A673 cells

C0016074 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H524 cells

C0016077 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

H211 cells

C0016078 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

H146 cells

C0016080 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

H889 cells

C0016081 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

H128 cells

C0016083 Addexbio One Frozen vial 651.6 EUR

Vcap cells

C0019001 Addexbio One Frozen vial 546 EUR

8505C cells

C0025002 Addexbio One Frozen vial 792 EUR
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