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Review
. 2018 Apr:51:46-54.
doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2018.02.001. Epub 2018 Feb 23.

Humoral immune responses to infection: common mechanisms and unique strategies to combat pathogen immune evasion tactics

Ismail Sebina  1 , Marion Pepper  2
Affiliations
Review

Humoral immune responses to infection: common mechanisms and unique strategies to combat pathogen immune evasion tactics

Ismail Sebina et al. Curr Opin Immunol. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Humoral immune responses are crucial for protection against invading pathogens and are the underlying mechanism of protection for most successful vaccines. Our understanding of how humoral immunity develops is largely based on animal models utilizing experimental immunization systems. While these studies have made enormous progress for the field and have defined many of the fundamental principles of B cell differentiation and function, we are only now beginning to appreciate the complexities of humoral immune responses induced by infection. Co-evolution of the adaptive immune system and the pathogenic world has created a diverse array of B cell responses to infections, with both shared and unique strategies. In this review, we consider the common mechanisms that regulate the development of humoral immune responses during infection and highlight recent findings demonstrating the evolution of unique strategies used by either host or pathogen for survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. A schematic view of humoral immune responses to infection.
Extrafollicular and follicular antibody responses contribute to protection against invading microbial pathogens. B cells activated within the extrafollicular environment in the presence or absence of T cell help differentiate into short-lived antibody secreting cells that mediate early protection against infection. However, the formation of germinal center dependent or independent memory B cells and long-lived plasma cells in the B cell follicles facilitates complete resolution of primary infections and long-term protection against reinfection. For their survival, pathogens have evolved strategies that enable them to evade specific antibody-dependent killing mechanisms.
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