A type of white blood cell and, specifically, a type of lymphocyte.
Many B cells mature into what are called plasma cells that produce antibodies
(proteins) necessary to fight off infections while other B cells mature into memory
B cells.
All of the plasma cells descended from a single B cell produce the same antibody
which is directed against the antigen that stimulated it to mature. The same principle
holds with memory B cells. Thus, all of the plasma cells and memory cells "remember"
the stimulus that led to their formation.
The maturation of B cells takes place in birds in an organ called the bursa of
Fabricus. B cells in mammals mature largely in the bone marrow.
The B cell, or B lymphocyte, is thus an immunologically important cell. It is
not thymus-dependent, has a short lifespan, and is responsible for the production
of immunoglobulins. It expresses immunoglobulins on its surface.
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