Differentiation of a B-Lymphocyte after Interaction with
an Effector T4-Helper Lymphocyte

An effector T4-helper lymphocyte, by way of its TCR and CD4, binds to the MHC-II/epitope on the activated B-lymphocyte. This, along with co-stimulatory signals that result from the binding of costimulatory molecules such as CD40 and B7 on the B-lymphocyte with their corresponding ligands on the activated T4-lymphocyte enable the T4-helper cell to release cytokines such as Il-4, Il-5, Il-6, and Il-10. (The subset of T4-lymphocytes that normally interact with B-lymphocytes to promote antibody production are called Th2 lymphocytes.) These cytokines then bind to cytokine receptors on the activated B-lymphocyte triggering its proliferation into a large clone of identical B-lymphocytes. The clone of B-lymphocytes eventually differentiates into antibody-secreting B-lymphocytes and plasma cells. Some of the B-lymphocytes also differentiate into B-memory cells for heightened secondary response against that T-dependent antigen.


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