germinal center B lymphocyte differentiation, germinal center B-cell differentiation, germinal center B-lymphocyte differentiation, germinal center B cell development
Alternate IDs
None
Definition
The process in which a B cell in the spleen acquires the specialized features of a germinal center B cell. Germinal center B cells are rapidly cycling B cells which have downregulated IgD expression and exhibit high levels of binding by peanut agglutinin (PNA).
Source:ISBN:0781735149,
GOC:jal
Comment
Note that immunologists typically use the word 'development' to refer to cells of B or T cell lineages undergoing the process that GO describes as 'cell differentiation'.