ISSN:
1600-065X
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary: Many of the stromal-derived signals and factors that regulate B lymphopoiesis have been identified. We review recent evidence from our laboratory that shows that there are at least three phases during B-cell development when cells direct their own maturation, independent of stromal cells. Following the expression of the preB-cell receptor (preBCR), cells acquire the ability to proliferate in low levels of interleukin-7 (IL-7), which acts as a self-selecting mechanism to expand cells that have successfully expressed a preBCR in environments that are non-permissive to preBCR– cells. Second, the preBCR is required for a contact-mediated event between B-cell progenitors. Disruption at this stage prevents the further maturation of progenitors to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-responsive stage. Finally, the transition from IL-7 receptor to mature antigen receptor-based signaling is enhanced by a novel member of the tachykinin family, hemokinin-1. This series of maturation, survival, and differentiation signals is generated by B-lineage cells as they progress through developmental checkpoints on the way to becoming functionally mature cells.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0105-2896.2004.0103.x
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