This same positive and negative selection mechanism, but in peripheral tissues, is known as clonal anergy.

The mechanism of clonal anergy is important to maintain tolerance to many autologous antigens.

Just as in T cells, clonal deletion and clonal anergy can physically eliminate autoreactive B cell clones.

Clonal Anergy theory, proposed by Nossal, in which self-reactive T- or B-cells become inactivated in the normal individual and cannot amplify the immune response.

However, these potentially self-reactive cells in the periphery are held in check by a number of regulatory mechanisms such as active suppression by regulatory T cells(Tregs), clonal anergy, deletion, and ignorance.