Antibody-producing cells (plasma cells) can be found in a variety of tissues across the body that can be divided into two sites--where they differentiate from activated B cells (induction site) and the tissues where they migrate to robustly secrete their antibodies (effector tissues). However, the question of what the key determinant(s) for plasma cell longevity are has remained unanswered. 

The research group of Wataru Ise (CiDER/WPI-IFReC/CAMaD, Osaka University), Takuya Koike (UTOPIA, The University of Tokyo), and Tomohiro Kurosaki (RIKEN/IFReC/CiDER) discovered cells that migrate from plasma cells born in lymphoid tissues to the bone marrow, which is their long-term survival site.
(Journal of Experimental Medicine on Feb. 21, 2025)

Contact

Tomohiro Kurosaki

kurosakiifrec.osaka-u.ac.jp

Lymphocyte Differentiation