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Antigen
Antibody
B cell stimulated by
antigen, proliferates
B cell
Antigen
Clone
stimulated
by antigen
B cell clones produce
same or similar
antibodies
Figure 2.1
Clonal expansion (and selection) of B cells in the presence of an
antigen.
selects (or induces) a particular lymphocyte (to produce clones) from a large
number of lymphocytes. Given the large variety of lymphocyte receptors in the
expressed repertoire, whether the receptors on any particular lymphocyte detects
the antigen can be viewed as a random event. On activation, however, this lym-
phocyte proliferates through the process called cloning. Figure 2.1 illustrates
clonal expansion and selection of B lymphocytes in the presence of an antigen
(Hightower, 1996).
h e main properties of clonal selection are (Burnet, 1976; Stewart et al., 1989)
Elimination of self-reacting clones
Proliferation and diff erentiation of mature lymphocytes through antigenic
simulation
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