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Frontiers in B-cell immunology
Over the past several decades, significant progress has been made in understanding the roles of B cells in immunity and autoimmunity. B-cell development, occurring in the bone marrow, is a complex dynamic process involved in immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangement and B-cell receptor (BCR) expression. Early progenitor B (pro-B) cells initiate DNA rearrangement at their Ig heavy chain loci, resulting in the synthesis of m-chains in the cytoplasm and the assembly of the precursor B-cell receptor (pre-BCR). Following the successful rearrangement of light chain genes, these precursor B (pre-B) cells differentiate into immature B cells when whole IgM molecules are expressed as functional BCR on the cell surface. The newly formed immature B cells then leave the bone marrow and become mature B lymphocytes in the peripheral lymphoid organs.
In this issue, there are five reviews that highlight recent progress in studying the regulation of B-cell development and function, as well as B cell-targeted therapy for autoimmune diseases.
Focus library
Marginal zone B cells are naturally reactive to collagen type II and are involved in the initiation of the immune response in collagen-induced arthritis
Cecilia Carnrot, Kajsa E Prokopec, Kristina Råsbo, Mikael CI Karlsson and Sandra Kleinau
Cellular and Molecular Immunology 8, 296–304 doi:10.1038/cmi.2011.2
CD40-activated B cells are more potent than immature dendritic cells to induce and expand CD4+ regulatory T cells
Jian Zheng, Yinping Liu, Yu-Lung Lau and Wenwei Tu
Cellular and Molecular Immunology 7, 44–50 doi:10.1038/cmi.2009.103
Discrimination of membrane antigen affinity by B cells requires dominance of kinetic proofreading over serial engagement
Philippos K Tsourkas, Wanli Liu, Somkanya C Das, Susan K Pierce and Subhadip Raychaudhuri
Cellular and Molecular Immunology 9, 62–74 doi:10.1038/cmi.2011.29
A critical role of IL-17 in modulating the B-cell response during H5N1 influenza virus infection
Xiaohui Wang, Chris CS Chan, Min Yang, Jun Deng, Vincent KM Poon, Virtual HC Leung, King-Hung Ko, Jie Zhou, Kwok Yung Yuen, Bo-Jian Zheng and Liwei Lu
Cellular and Molecular Immunology 8, 462–468 doi:10.1038/cmi.2011.38
Unraveling B cell receptor mechanics
Jürgen Wienands
Nature Immunology 6, 1072–1074 doi:10.1038/ni1105-1072
Circulating human B cells that express surrogate light chains and edited receptors
Eric Meffre Eric Davis Claudine Schiff Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles Lionel B. Ivashkiv Louis M. Staudt James W. Young and Michel C. Nussenzweig
Nature Immunology 1, 207–213 doi:10.1038/79739
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Nef suppresses CD40-dependent immunoglobulin class switching in bystander B cells
Xugang Qiao, Bing He, April Chiu, Daniel M Knowles, Amy Chadburn and Andrea Cerutti
Nature Immunology 7, 302–310 doi:10.1038/ni1302
Signaling protein SWAP-70 is required for efficient B cell homing to lymphoid organs
Glen Pearce, Veronique Angeli, Gwendalyn J Randolph, Tobias Junt, Ulrich von Andrian, Hans-Joachim Schnittler and Rolf Jessberger
Nature Immunology 7, 827–834 doi:10.1038/ni1365
Distinct functions for the transcription factor Foxo1 at various stages of B cell differentiation
Hart S Dengler, Gisele V Baracho, Sidne A Omori, Shane Bruckner, Karen C Arden, Diego H Castrillon, Ronald A DePinho and Robert C Rickert
Nature Immunology 9, 1388–1398 doi:10.1038/ni.1667
Reciprocal regulation of polarized cytokine production by effector B and T cells
David P. Harris, Laura Haynes, Peter C. Sayles, Debra K. Duso, Sheri M. Eaton, Nancy M. Lepak, Lawrence L. Johnson, Susan L. Swain and Frances E. Lund
Nature Immunology 9, 475–482 doi:10.1038/82717
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