Unraveling B cell trajectories at single cell resolution

During adaptive immunity, B cells differentiate either into memory B cells or plasma cells and produce antibodies against foreign antigens to fight infection. Additionally, they behave as antigen-presenting cells and participate in T cell activation during cellular immune responses. However, their functional dysregulation can result in various autoimmune diseases and cancers. With significant breakthroughs in single cell technologies, assessing individual B cell genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics can give deeper insights into mammalian B cell development, differentiation, antibody repertoire, and responses under conditions of homeostasis, infection, and aberrations during disease. In this review, we discuss the adoption of single cell approaches to identify different B cell gene signatures and biomarkers in normal and diseased tissues, and subsequent benefits for future therapeutic discoveries.

Automated summary

This review discusses the importance of single cell technologies in assessing the genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics of individual B cells. Understanding B cell development, differentiation, antibody repertoire, and responses during homeostasis, infection, and disease can lead to the identification of different B cell gene signatures and biomarkers, with potential benefits for future therapeutic discoveries.