B-cell maturation is the process through which B-cells develop and differentiate in the bone marrow and peripheral lymphoid tissues. This process is crucial for the adaptive immune response, enabling B-cells to produce antibodies.
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B-cell maturation occurs in the bone marrow and involves both positive and negative selection to ensure functional and self-tolerant B-cells.
The later stages of B-cell maturation occur in peripheral lymphoid organs, such as the spleen and lymph nodes, where they further differentiate into plasma cells or memory B-cells.
During maturation, B-cells undergo V(D)J recombination to generate diverse antibody receptors capable of recognizing a wide array of antigens.
Impaired B-cell maturation can lead to immunodeficiency diseases, such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), characterized by an absence of mature B-cells.
Signals from cytokines like IL-7 are essential for early stages of B-cell development in the bone marrow.
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Related terms
T-cell Maturation: The process through which T-cells develop in the thymus to become functional components of the immune system.