Germinal center (GC) B cells are the source of the high-affinity, class-switched antibodies required for protective immunity. The unique biology of GC B cells involves iterative rounds of antibody gene somatic hypermutation coupled to multiple selection and differentiation pathways. Recent advances in areas such as single cell and gene editing technologies have shed new light upon these complex and dynamic processes. We review these findings here and integrate them into the current understanding of GC B cell replication and death, the retention of high-affinity and class-switched B cells in the GC, and differentiation into plasma and memory cell effectors. We also discuss how the biology of GC responses relates to vaccine effectiveness and outline current and future challenges in the field.

生发中心 (GC) B 细胞是保护性免疫所需的高亲和力、类别转换抗体的来源。GC B 细胞的独特生物学涉及与多重选择和分化途径耦合的抗体基因体细胞超变的迭代轮次。单细胞和基因编辑技术等领域的最新进展为这些复杂而动态的过程提供了新的视角。我们在这里回顾了这些发现，并将它们整合到当前对 GC B 细胞复制和死亡、GC 中高亲和力和类别转换 B 细胞的保留以及分化为血浆和记忆细胞效应器的理解中。我们还讨论了 GC 反应的生物学与疫苗有效性的关系，并概述了该领域当前和未来的挑战。