EmBmem: will the real memory B cell please stand up?

Lung-resident memory B cells (Bmems) rapidly differentiate into localized effectors to generate neutralizing antibodies and pro-tect against reinfection of the tissue. Using lineage tracing, Gregoire et al. now show that lung-resident Bmems may also include bystanders gener-ated by an alternative permissive differentiation pathway.

Automated summary

Lung-resident memory B cells can differentiate into localized effectors to prevent tissue reinfection, and may also include bystander cells generated by an alternative differentiation pathway, as shown by Gregoire et al. using lineage tracing.