B-1 cells were first found in mice in the 1980s. These cells appear in the uterus in the early stage of mouse development. After being activated, they will produce various antibodies, some of which are attached to the cells of the mouse, which helps to remove the dead cells in the body; Other antibodies serve as the first line of defense against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria.
In 2011, a research team reported that they found equivalent cells in the human body, but they were not recognized because there was no conclusive evidence. Now, a new study provides conclusive evidence that B-1 cells appear in the early stages of human development, the first and second stages of pregnancy (three months each).
The new study was published in the journal Science along with three other studies recently conducted by the human cell atlas Alliance (HCA). HCA is an international research group dedicated to determining the location, function and characteristics of each cell type in the human body. The four studies analyzed more than 1 million human cells, representing more than 500 different cell types sampled from more than 30 different tissues.
In order to help construct this human cell map, Sarah tiechmann, senior author of the latest research and head of cytogenetics of Sanger Institute in the UK, and her colleagues carried out detailed research on immune cells, especially immune cells in the early development of human beings. It is in this process that evidence of the existence of human B-1 cells was found.
Tiechmann said that these cells may help shape new human tissues and may also provide a degree of immune protection against pathogens small enough to cross the placental barrier. This new study expands people's understanding of how B-1 cells develop initially and lays the foundation for future research on the function of B-1 cells in later life.