The Prospects of Human CD40L-Activated AntigenPresenting B Cells

B cells are considered as professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) and being used to induce the activation of cognate T cells. Because the number of primary APC from individuals' blood are limited, in vitro activated and expanded B cells represent a good alternative APC source for studying T cell responses against pathogen or cancer. With the discoveries of T-B collaboration and T cell help for B cell activation, several groups have successfully established CD40L-based methods for generating antigen-presenting B cells. This review aims to overview current representative CD40L-based B cell culture methods with their concomitant characteristics, applications, and significances.