抗体の分子進化（親和性成熟）の研究： 面白い結果は思いがけなく訪れる

Antibodies are unique proteins in that they improve their affinity for antigens during antibody responses. This process termed “affinity maturation” is the result of random hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes in B cells followed by selection of the clones that acquired high-affinity antibodies. However, what mechanisms are responsible for the induction of hypermutation and the subsequent B cell selection in germinal centers has remained unknown in many respects. I would like to talk about our long-lasting studies on these immunologic mechanisms focusing on the functional role of follicular dendritic cells

記念講演要旨 (Summary of Commemorational Lecture)