Recent studies have demonstrated important roles of nucleic acidsensing Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in promoting protective antibody responses against several viruses. To dissect how recognition of nucleic acids by TLRs enhances germinal center (GC) responses, mice selectively deleted for myeloid differentiation primaryresponse protein 88 (MyD88) in B cells or dendritic cells (DCs) were immunized with a haptenated protein antigen bound to a TLR9 ligand. TLR9 signaling in DCs led to greater numbers of follicular helper T (T FH ) cells and GC B cells, and accelerated production of broad-affinity antihapten IgG. In addition to modulating GC selection by increasing inducible costimulator (ICOS) expression on T FH cells and reducing the number of follicular regulatory T cells, MyD88-dependent signaling in B cells enhanced GC output by augmenting a class switch to IgG2a, affinity maturation, and the memory antibody response. Thus, attachment of a TLR9 ligand to an oligovalent antigen acted on DCs and B cells to coordinate changes in the T-cell compartment and also promoted B cell-intrinsic effects that ultimately programmed a more potent GC response.T he ability of the innate immune system to survey infection relies on pattern recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), that signal through myeloid differentiation primary-response protein 88 (MyD88) upon recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Recognition of infection by TLRs shapes adaptive immunity by directing dendritic cells (DCs) to activate naive T cells (1-3), by directing T helper (T H ) 1 and T H 17 polarization of effector T cells (3, 4), and by promoting B-cell activation and terminal differentiation to antibody-secreting plasma cells (5, 6).Following infection or vaccination, antibody responses generally proceed in two phases: an initial extrafollicular response, which rapidly generates short-lived plasmablasts that secrete low-affinity IgM and small quantities of isotype-switched antibodies (7), and a slower germinal center (GC) response, where B cells switch Ig isotype, increase affinity for antigen through somatic mutation of IgH and IgL genes, and undergo selection processes (8). Importantly, the GC builds protection from reinfection by selecting long-lived plasma cells and memory B cells from cells expressing isotype-switched, affinity-matured Bcell antigen receptors (BCRs) (9). Initially, it was proposed that TLR signaling selectively favored the extrafollicular component of serological immunity (10), but it was shown subsequently that TLR signaling in B cells could greatly augment the GC response to virus-like particles, nanoparticles, and virions (5,11,12). Moreover, the ability of B-cell TLRs to enhance the antibody response was recently shown to be important for host defense of mice infected with Friend virus and the chronic version of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) (12)(13)(14).Follicular helper T (T FH ) cells maintain the GC and govern selection for GC B cells with increased affinity for antigen (...