B cells transiently exposed to antigen that return to quiescence respond to protein immunization similarly to naive B cells

Transient exposure of B cells to moderately multivalent antigens has been shown to lead to their activation and recruitment into T-dependent B cell response in the presence of T cell help. However, when T cell help is delayed, transiently activated B cells return to a naive-like state. While B cells that briefly encountered cognate antigen and then underwent inactivation are not tolerant, whether they may be hypo- or hyper-responsive to cognate antigen is not known. In this study we show that naive B cells and those previously exposed to antigen and then inactivated generate comparable germinal center and plasma cell responses after immunization with a wide range of antigen concentrations.