Pfizer Vaccine Induces Immune Structures Key to Lasting Immunity

In the armpit lymph nodes of people who had received the mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, researchers found germinal centers needed to generate long-lived antibody-making cells.

katya katarina zimmer
| 6 min read
lymph node germinal center antibody covid-19 sars-cov-2 pandemic coronavirus plasmablast b cell pfizer vaccine immunity

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ABOVE: A lymph node with B cells labeled yellow and CD4+ T cells in blue.
FLICKR, NIAID

Just like any skilled workers, many antibody-producing cells require training to do their job proficiently. That education happens in germinal centers, structures in the lymph nodes that form upon infection or vaccination, then disappear after a few weeks. Although our bodies have some antibody-spewing plasmablasts at the ready when they first encounter a new virus, better, longer-lasting antibody-making cells emerge from these lymphoid boot camps.

In what’s described as the dark zone of the germinal center based on its appearance under a microscope, B cells swiftly multiply and diversify into clones that carry differently shaped antibodies. They then drift into the “light zone,” where they face examination by specialized T cells that test their ability to recognize viral protein. This test is tough; imperfect clones are sent back to the dark zone for refinement ...

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Meet the Author

  • katya katarina zimmer

    Katarina Zimmer

    After a year teaching an algorithm to differentiate between the echolocation calls of different bat species, Katarina decided she was simply too greedy to focus on one field. Following an internship with The Scientist in 2017, she has been happily freelancing for a number of publications, covering everything from climate change to oncology.
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