Yes, B cells are found in the blood.
What are B Cells?
B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a crucial part of your immune system. They are a type of white blood cell and are responsible for producing antibodies. These antibodies help your body fight off infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances. B cells develop from stem cells in the bone marrow. [^1, ^2]
Several references confirm the presence of B cells in the blood:
- Studies show that antigen-specific B cells, including memory B cells, appear in the blood within a week of encountering an antigen. [^6]
- Research indicates that specific B cell subsets, such as splenic marginal zone B cells, circulate in the blood. [^7]
- The effects of treatments like Rituximab, which depletes B cells, demonstrate their presence in peripheral blood; repopulation of B cells in the blood after treatment also confirms their existence there. [^8]
- Furthermore, methods for isolating monoclonal antibodies rely on extracting them from peripheral blood B cells, highlighting their presence in the bloodstream. [^10]
- The presence of monoclonal B cell populations in the peripheral blood is a diagnostic criterion for conditions such as monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL). [^9]
B Cell Functions and Locations
While B cells are found circulating in the blood, it's important to note they also reside in other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow. Their presence in the blood allows them to travel throughout the body to reach sites of infection and respond to threats.
[^1]: A type of white blood cell that makes antibodies. B cells are part of the immune system and develop from stem cells in the bone marrow. Also called B lymphocyte.
[^2]: A type of white blood cell that makes antibodies. B cells are part of the immune system and develop from stem cells in the bone marrow.
[^6]: Within 1 wk, antigen-specific B cells appear in the blood with either a memory phenotype or as immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 ASCs expressing blimp-1. The memory cells…
[^7]: The circulating IgM+IgD+CD27+ B-cell subset displays a splenic marginal zone B-cell phenotype. Mouse and human splenic marginal zone B cells can be…
[^8]: Rituximab induced a profound depletion of all peripheral blood B cell populations in patients with RA. Repopulation occurred mainly with naive mature and…
[^9]: Monoclonal B lymphocytosis (MBL) is defined as the presence of a clonal B-cell population in the peripheral blood with fewer than 5 × 109/L B-cells and no other…
[^10]: This technique involves PCR amplification of Ig-encoding genes from B cells, cloning them into an expression vector and re-expression in 293T…
