BAFF receptor signaling aids the differentiation of immature B cells into transitional B cells following tonic BCR signaling.

ABSTRACT: BAFF is an important prosurvival cytokine for mature B cells. However, previous studies have shown that BAFFR is already expressed at the immature B cell stage, and that the prosurvival protein Bcl-2 does not completely complement the B cell defects resulting from the absence of BAFFR or BAFF. Thus, we hypothesized that BAFF also functions to aid the differentiation of nonautoreactive immature B cells into transitional B cells and to promote their positive selection. We found that BAFFR is expressed at higher levels on nonautoreactive than on autoreactive immature B cells and that its expression correlates with that of surface IgM and with tonic BCR signaling. Our data indicate that BAFFR signaling enhances the generation of transitional CD23(-) B cells in vitro by increasing cell survival

SUBMITTER: Rowland SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2950883 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature