Since LEP (Large Electron-Positron storage ring) started running in August 1989, the DELPHI (Detector with Lepton, Photon, and Hadron Identification) experiment has recorded the production of over ...400000 Z/sup 0/ vector bosons. The basic design of the process control system of the on-line data acquisition is described. The approach adopted is based on the state manager concept, in which the experiment is described in terms of objects in well-defined states. Commands can be sent to these objects causing them to perform actions and to change state. The complete description of all objects in a simple language is used to generate a set of executable images which run as VMS processes distributed over 20 VAXes and control the 16 subdetectors of DELPHI.< >
Maternal antibodies (MatAbs) protect offspring from infections but limit their responses to vaccination. The mechanisms of this inhibition are still debated. Using murine early-life immunization ...models mimicking the condition prevailing in humans, we observed the induction of CD4-T, T follicular helper, and germinal center (GC) B cell responses even when early-life antibody responses were abrogated by MatAbs. GC B cells induced in the presence of MatAbs form GC structures and exhibit canonical GC changes in gene expression but fail to differentiate into plasma cells and/or memory B cells in a MatAb titer-dependent manner. Furthermore, GC B cells elicited in the presence or absence of MatAbs use different VH and Vk genes and show differences in genes associated with B cell differentiation and isotype switching. Thus, MatAbs do not prevent B cell activation but control the output of the GC reaction both quantitatively and qualitatively, shaping the antigen-specific B cell repertoire.
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•MatAbs inhibit early-life antibody responses but do not prevent B cell activation•Germinal center formation occurs despite MatAbs, but their output is altered•Plasma cell and memory B cell differentiation is affected in a titer-dependent manner•GC B cells elicited in the presence or absence of MatAbs express distinct BCRs
Maternal antibodies (MatAbs) protect offspring from infections but limit their vaccine responses through still poorly known mechanisms. Vono et al. report that MatAbs do not prevent B cell activation or germinal center formation but control plasma cell and memory B cell differentiation, shaping the long-term antigen-specific B cell repertoire.
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