Evidence map›Paper›PMID 9214617›Full record

ArticleThe EMBO journal1997

The extent of affinity maturation differs between the memory and antibody-forming cell compartments in the primary immune response.

K G Smith, A Light, G J Nossal, D M Tarlinton

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The EMBO journal, 1997. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 186 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
186citing papers in PubMed
4.3field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

186 citing papers in PubMed, 439 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. The multilayered identity of B cell memory.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026
    Review
  7. Memory B cell development in response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 and nanoparticle immunization in mice.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
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  20. Article

126 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

K G SmithThe Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, PO Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
A Light
G J Nossal
D M Tarlinton
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research · AU

Funding

MECHANISMS OF LYMPHOCYTE-ANTIGEN INTERACTIONSR01AI003958 · NIAID · WALTER AND ELIZA HALL INST MEDICAL RES · PI NOSSAL, GUSTAV J · 1985 to 1997
–
NIAID NIH HHS AI03958
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Immunization with protein-containing antigens results in two types of antigen-specific B cell: antibody forming cells (AFCs) producing antibody of progressively higher affinity and memory lymphocytes capable of producing high affinity antibody upon re-exposure to antigen. The issue of the inter-relationship between affinity maturation of memory B cells and AFCs was addressed through analysis of single, antigen-specific B cells from the memory and AFC compartments during the primary response to a model antigen. Only 65% of splenic memory B cells were found capable of producing high affinity antibody, meaning that low affinity cells persist into this compartment. In contrast, by 28 days after immunization all AFCs produced high affinity antibody. We identified a unique, persistent sub-population of bone marrow AFCs containing few somatic mutations, suggesting they arose early in the response, yet highly enriched for an identical affinity-enhancing amino acid exchange, suggesting strong selection. Our results imply that affinity maturation of a primary immune response occurs by the early selective differentiation of high affinity variants into AFCs which subsequently persist in the bone marrow. In contrast, the memory B-cell population contains few, if any, cells from the early response and is less stringently selected.

Indexed as

Antibody AffinityImmunologic MemoryVaccinationAmino Acid SequenceAnimalsBase SequenceB-Lymphocyte SubsetsBone MarrowBone Marrow CellsImmunoglobulin GImmunoglobulin Heavy ChainsImmunoglobulin Variable RegionMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMolecular Sequence DataMutation4-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl acetic acidImmunoglobulin GImmunoglobulin Heavy ChainsImmunoglobulin Variable RegionNitrophenolsPhenylacetates

Identifiers

PMID9214617
PMCPMC1169918
OpenAlexW1982573460

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.