Final answer:
When a B cell leaves the bone marrow and takes place in a secondary lymphoid organ such as a lymph node, the spleen, or a Peyers patch, it becomes a plasma cell that can respond to its specific antigen.
Step-by-step explanation:
After B cells are activated by their binding to antigen, they differentiate into plasma cells. When a B cell leaves the bone marrow and takes place in a secondary lymphoid organ such as a lymph node, the spleen, or a Peyers patch, it becomes a plasma cell that can respond to its specific antigen.
Plasma cells often leave the secondary lymphoid organs, where the response is generated, and migrate back to the bone marrow, where the whole differentiation process started. After secreting antibodies for a specific period, they die, as most of their energy is devoted to making antibodies and not to maintaining themselves. Thus, plasma cells are said to be terminally differentiated.