Specialised memory cells found in our immune system play an important role in our ability to fight virus mutations, such as those produced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to research.
So-called virus escape mutants are variants of a virus that are typically produced when the body’s immune system is weak. The immune system can control the virus, but cannot prevent the mutated viruses from spreading.
A person with a normal immune response is able to suppress these mutants, but the mechanisms by which this happens are poorly understood.
A team at the University of Birmingham discovered an important role played by memory B cells. These work alongside the regular B cells that learn to produce highly specific antibodies in response to an infection.
While antibodies are highly specific to a target pathogen, memory B cells make antibodies that bind in a non-specific way.
The researchers found the reason for this lack of specificity was that memory B cells are interacting with other white blood cells, called phagocytes, which work to suppress pathogens by engulfing them.
The memory B cells work alongside phagocytes to continuously screen for mutant virus variants. Because their function is not specialised, when they discover an antigen, they can kick-start a protective antibody response.
Professor Kai-Michael Toellner, said: “These findings enable us to better understand how people are protected in long-term virus infections, such as HIV. It represents a major shift in how we think about immune memory, which may affect how we understand virus infection, and immune-deficient patients.”
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