B-cell receptor evolution in germinal centers · Somatic hypermutation · Shape-space model
Mutation rate μ0.10
Selection pressure4.0
Clone count40
Proliferation2
Generation: 0 | Best affinity: — | Mean affinity: —
Clonal selection theory (Burnet 1957): antigen selects B-cells with highest affinity receptors for proliferation. Affinity maturation in germinal centers involves somatic hypermutation followed by positive selection — an evolutionary optimization in shape space. Shown: 2D shape-space projection; color = affinity to current antigen.