What is clonal selection? How does it occur?

What will be an ideal response?


Clonal selection is the process by which a particular B cell is specifically selected for cloning when it
recognizes a particular foreign antigen. An individual has an enormous number of unactivated B cells,
each displaying a specific B-cell receptor (BCR) on its surface. After binding and processing the
antigen that matches its BCR, and under the stimulation of interleukins from helper T cells, the B cell
proliferates to produce a clone of cells. Some of the B-cell clones differentiate into plasma cells, which
are short-lived cells that produce antibodies. A few B-cell clones differentiate into memory B cells,
which remain in circulation ready to mount a more vigorous response against the same antigen at a
later time.

Biology & Microbiology

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