B cell receptor signal transduction in the GC is short-circuited by high phosphatase activity.

Germinal centers (GCs) generate memory B and plasma cells, which are essential for long-lived humoral immunity. GC B cells with high-affinity B cell receptors (BCRs) are selectively expanded. To enable this selection, BCRs of such cells are thought to signal differently from those with lower affinity. We show that, surprisingly, most proliferating GC B cells did not demonstrate active BCR signaling. Rather, spontaneous and induced signaling was limited by increased phosphatase activity. Accordingly, both SH2 domain-containing phosphatase-1 (SHP-1) and SH2 domain-containing inositol 5 phosphatase were hyperphosphorylated in GC cells and remained colocalized with BCRs after ligation. Furthermore, SHP-1 was required for GC maintenance. Intriguingly, GC B cells in the cell-cycle G(2) period regained responsiveness to BCR stimulation. These data have implications for how higher-affinity B cells are selected in the GC.