Human marginal zone B cells are not an activated B cell subset: strong expression of CD21 as a putative mediator for rapid B cell activation.

In the human spleen the marginal zone (MZ) contains medium-sized B cells with a distinct immunophenotype. A main function attributed to the MZ is its involvement in the primary response to blood-borne antigens, in particular to thymus-independent antigens type 2. In this study the presence of antigens related to activation and proliferation was evaluated in human spleens by immunohistochemical staining. It appeared that MZ B cells do not show interleukin 2 receptor expression, and are in G0 phase of the cell cycle, as demonstrated by the lack of Ki-67 reactivity. The most interesting finding is the high CD21 expression by MZ B cells in the absence of IgD expression. As the CD21 antigen has been shown to be involved in B cell activation in close linkage with IgM, it can be suggested that MZ B cells are particularly well equipped for rapid and easy activation in a primary immune response.