{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T11:09:56Z","timestamp":1784632196762,"version":"3.55.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"group-title":"Immunology","reference-count":52,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NIH","award":["AI170965"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AI170965"]}]},{"name":"NIH","award":["AI093870"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AI093870"]}]},{"name":"Medical Research Council","award":["MR\/P011225\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/P011225\/1"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                  The marginal zone (MZ) of the spleen harbors B cells that play an indispensable role in immune defense, orchestrating rapid responses to bloodborne pathogens. Under steady-state conditions, MZ B cell numbers are maintained through the balance of\n                  <jats:italic>de novo<\/jats:italic>\n                  generation from precursors, proliferative self-renewal, and loss. The mechanisms governing this homeostatic control remain elusive. Further, the developmental pathways underlying the establishment and continued supplementation of the MZ B cell compartment are not fullyelucidated. To address these gaps, we combined multiple fate-mapping tools and mathematical models to study MZ B cell dynamics in mice across the life course. Our analyses find evidence of quorum sensing mechanisms that regulate both the accumulation of mature MZ B cells during early life and their maintenance throughout adulthood. Specifically, we demonstrate that they derive predominantly from transitional B cell precursors with an efficiency that increases with age, reaching stable levels only in adulthood. MZ B cells compensate for this early developmental inefficiency through cell density-dependent proliferation, ensuring the timely establishment of a stable pool. Collectively, these findings unveil critical roles of quorum sensing and immune system maturation in the maintenance of this vital B cell subset.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.07.11.737964","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T21:20:28Z","timestamp":1784323228000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quorum sensing underlies the establishment and maintenance of marginal zone B cells"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Apoorva","family":"Singh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melissa","family":"Verheijen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology, University College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thea","family":"Hogan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology, University College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4606-4483","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrew J.","family":"Yates","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4352-3373","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benedict","family":"Seddon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology, University College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2612-4725","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanket","family":"Rane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.coi.2008.03.014"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.167.12.6834"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1471-4906(02)02337-2"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.172.2.803"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-46024-1"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1074-7613(02)00389-8"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.20080559"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1074-7613(01)00135-2"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nri3383"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2021.109430"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.20120774"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/ni1542"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jtbi.2012.12.025"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.2002.2316"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.immunol.18.1.83"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2022.1028789"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/elife.23013"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/elife.23013"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/76882"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/ni.3657"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.194.8.1151"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cvr\/cvae027"},{"issue":"50","key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.23","first-page":"E6917","article-title":"Temporal fate mapping reveals age-linked heterogeneity in naive T lymphocytes in mice","volume":"112","year":"2015","journal-title":"PNAS; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21769\/bioprotoc.2650"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.1501365"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.174.3.1438"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-021-21359-1"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.190.1.75"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1074-7613(00)80157-0"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.30","first-page":"70","article-title":"B-cell subsets and the mature preimmune repertoire","volume":"175","year":"2000","journal-title":"Marginal zone and B1 B cells as part of a \u201cnatural immune memory\u201d. Immunol Rev"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1074-7613(01)00129-7"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2018.06.110"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.1200907"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.immunol.23.021704.115728"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pbio.2003949"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/elife.78168"},{"issue":"10","key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3974","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1811634116","article-title":"Fate mapping reveals the age structure of the peripheral T cell compartment","volume":"116","year":"2019","journal-title":"PNAS; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/eji.200939661"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.20031498"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-213x-1-4"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.20051038"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.immuni.2008.12.016"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2020.108376"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.44","first-page":"14","article-title":"Recherches math\u00e9matiques sur la loi d\u2019accroissement de la population","volume":"18","year":"1845","journal-title":"Nouveaux m\u00e9moires de l\u2019Acad\u00e9mie Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Bruxelles"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/23287"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2249.2002.01953.x"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.18637\/jss.v076.i01"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/elife.23013"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11222-016-9696-4"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.2206.06821"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2020.108376"},{"key":"2026072103251221000_2026.07.11.737964v1.52","first-page":"14","article-title":"Recherches math\u00e9matiques sur la loi d\u2019accroissement de la population","volume":"18","year":"1845","journal-title":"Nouveaux m\u00e9moires de l\u2019Acad\u00e9mie Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Bruxelles"}],"container-title":[],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.07.11.737964","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T10:25:22Z","timestamp":1784629522000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/biorxiv.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.07.11.737964"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"references-count":52,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.64898\/2026.07.11.737964","relation":{},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"subtype":"preprint"}}