Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation
Published on: June 1, 2019
The pre-B cell receptor in B cell development: recent advances, persistent questions and conserved mechanisms
M R Clark1, A B Cooper, L D Wang
1Section of Rheumatology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA. mclark@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Abstract:
B cell development is a process tightly regulated by the orchestrated signaling of cytokine receptors, the pre-B cell receptor (BCR) and the B cell receptor (BCR). It commences with common lymphoid progenitors (CLP) up-regulating the expression of B cell-related genes and committing to the B cell lineage. Cytokine signaling (IL-7, stem cell factor, FLT3-L) is essential at this stage of development as it suppresses cell death, sustains proliferation and facilitates heavy chain rearrangements. As a result of heavy chain recombination, the pre-BCR is expressed, which then becomes the primary determiner of survival, cell cycle entry and allelic exclusion. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of B cell lineage commitment and describe the signaling pathways that are initiated by the pre-BCR. Finally, we compare pre-BCR and pre-TCR structure, signal transduction and function, drawing parallels between early pre-B and pre-T cell development.
Related Concept Videos
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR activation may...
Lineage Commitment
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases
GPCR Desensitization
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...

