B Cell
B cells belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, making them a vital part of the immune system -- specifically the humoral immunity branch of the adaptive immune system. B cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes, such as T cells and natural killer cells (NK cells), by the presence of a protein on the B cell's outer surface known as a B cell receptor (BCR). This specialized receptor protein allows a B cell to bind to a specific antigen.
The principal functions of B cells are to make antibodies against antigens, to perform the role of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and to develop into memory B cells after activation by antigen interaction. Recently, a new, suppressive function of B cells has been discovered.
The abbreviation "B", in B cell, comes from the bursa of Fabricius in birds, where they mature. In mammals, immature B cells are formed in the bone marrow, which is used as a backronym for the cells' name.
Read more about B Cell: Development of B Cells, Immune Tolerance, Functions, Recognition of Antigen By B Cells, Activation of B Cells, The Ancestral Roots of B Cells, Origin of The Term, B Cell-related Pathology
Famous quotes containing the word cell:
“Let man consider what he is in comparison with all existence; let him regard himself as lost in this remote corner of nature; and from the little cell in which he finds himself lodged, I mean the universe, let him estimate at their true value the earth, kingdoms, cities, and himself. What is a man in the infinite?”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)