Somatically Hypermutated Specific IgM Memory B Cells Are Rapid, Plastic, Early Responders upon Malaria Rechallenge (Immunity)

Heterogeneous types of memory B cells are present in both humans and mice, yet it is unclear how different MBC subsets form or function in response to infection. Pepper and colleagues reveal that phenotypically and functionally distinct populations of polyclonal Plasmodium-specific MBCs form in response to infection and somatically hypermutated, high-affinity, plastic IgM+ memory B cells dominate the early memory response to malaria rechallenge.