Characterization of B-cell maturation in the peripheral immune system.

In the periphery different populations of B cells can be identified, corresponding to subsequent stages of B-cell development. Transitional 1 B cells are recent bone marrow emigrants traveling with the blood to the spleen. Here they further develop to transitional 2 and mature B cells. Marginal zone B cells are a sessile population only found in the spleen. The distinction of these cell types is only possible by three- and four-color flow cytometry, analyzing the relative expression of several developmentally regulated markers. We describe the method for the staining of the cells and the analysis of the collected data and show examples of the results obtained in normal and mutant mice.