T cells exposed to persistent antigen in the inflammatory environment of chronic infections often show progressive loss of effector functions, high expression of inhibitory receptors and distinct transcriptional programs. T cells in this functional state are termed "exhausted" and T cell exhaustion is associated with inefficient control of infections. A remarkably similar scenario has been described for B cells during chronic infections in humans, including malaria, in which case a subpopulation of atypical memory B cells (MBCs) greatly expands and these MBCs show attenuation of B cell receptor signaling, loss of the B cell effector functions of antibody and cytokine production, high expression of inhibitory receptors and distinct transcriptional profiles. The expansion of these MBCs is also associated with inefficient control of infections. Despite the similarities with exhausted T cells we speculate that at least in malaria, atypical MBCs may not be exhausted but rather may be functional, possibly even beneficial. Our recent results suggest that we simply may not have known how to ask an atypical MBC to function. Thus, exhaustion may not be in the human B cell's vocabulary, at least not in malaria.

中文翻译：

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精疲力尽可能不在人类B细胞词汇中，至少不在疟疾中。

在慢性感染的炎性环境中暴露于持久性抗原的T细胞通常显示出效应器功能的逐步丧失，抑制受体的高表达和独特的转录程序。处于这种功能状态的T细胞被称为“精疲力竭”，而T细胞精疲力竭与感染的控制效率低下有关。对于人类在包括疟疾在内的慢性感染中的B细胞，已经描述了非常相似的情况，在这种情况下，非典型记忆B细胞（MBC）的亚群大大扩展，这些MBC显示出B细胞受体信号传导减弱，B细胞丢失抗体的效应子功能和细胞因子的产生，抑制受体的高表达以及独特的转录谱。这些MBC的扩展还与感染的无效控制有关。尽管与疲惫的T细胞有相似之处，我们推测至少在疟疾中，非典型的MBC可能并非疲惫，而可能是功能性的，甚至可能是有益的。我们最近的结果表明，我们可能根本不知道如何要求非典型MBC发挥作用。因此，筋疲力尽可能不是人类B细胞的词汇量，至少不是疟疾。