B cell clones combine overlapping mechanisms to diversify during infection

Nature Immunology, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41590-026-02571-x B cells display a range of effector and memory phenotypes, antibody isotypes and affinities. We show that during malaria parasite infection, individual, activated clones commonly combine early, class-switch recombination, clonal expansion, effector fate bifurcation and somatic hypermutation to rapidly diversify in vivo.