Taking the Broad View on B Cell Affinity Maturation Karlynn E. Neu, Patrick C. Wilson  Immunity  Volume 44, Issue 3, Pages 518-520 (March 2016) DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.03.001 Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 The Functional B Cell Repertoire Is Formed Largely by Affinity Maturation The findings of Kuraoka et al. (2016) suggest that a wider range of B cell affinities are accepted for entry into germinal centers (GCs) than was previously thought, resulting in increased initial heterogeneity. After entry, the early GC response is mostly comprised of B cell clones whose BCR gene usage has an innate affinity for the antigen. As the immune response progresses, antigen becomes more limited, increasing competition. Instead of lower-affinity B cells being eradicated, as previously expected, some survive and undergo extensive affinity maturation to achieve a competitive edge and contribute to the diversity of the late GC response. Immunity 2016 44, 518-520DOI: (10.1016/j.immuni.2016.03.001) Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions