B cell

n.
Any of the lymphocytes that mature in the bone marrow and, when stimulated by a particular antigen, differentiate into plasma cells. Also called B lymphocyte.

[b(ursa-dependent) cell, after the bursa of Fabricius, a gland in birds where the cells mature and the first such tissue found in vertebrates.]

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n.

1. See beta cell.
2. A type of lymphocyte that, when stimulated by a particular antigen, differentiates into plasma cells that synthesize the antibodies that circulate in the blood and react with the specific antigens. Also called B lymphocyte.

or B cell or (archaic) bursacyte

any 'bursa-dependent' lymphocyte concerned in the synthesis of circulating antibody. B lymphocytes arise from primitive lymphoid cells of the bone marrow and develop into the plasma cell series. Their maturation is determined by processing within the bursa of Fabricius in birds, or equivalent hematopoietic tissue in other vertebrates. B lymphocytes may be differentiated from T lymphocytes by their surface markers which contain immunoglobulins. In humans the majority of B lymphocytes are derived from bone marrow stem cells, but a minor population, distinguished by the CD5 marker, appears to form a self-renewing set. Cells in this set respond to a number of common microbial antigens and sometimes generate autoantibodies.

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For a list of words related to B lymphocyte, see:

• Cell Structure and Function - B lymphocyte: B cell

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