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TACI and BAFF-R mediate isotype switching in B cells
Emanuela Castigli1, Stephen A Wilson, Sumi Scott
1Division of Immunology, Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
The tumor necrosis factor family members BAFF and APRIL induce Ig isotype switching in human B cells. We analyzed the ability of BAFF and APRIL to induce isotype switching in murine B cells to IgG1, IgA, and IgE. APRIL and BAFF each engage two receptors, transmembrane activator and calcium-modulator and cytophilin ligand interactor (TACI) and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), on B cells. In addition, BAFF engages a third receptor on B cells, BAFF-R. To determine the role of these receptors in isotype switching, we examined B cells from mice deficient in TACI, BCMA, and BAFF-R. The results obtained indicate that both TACI and BAFF-R are able to transduce signals that result in isotype switching.