Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Characterization of Thymic Settling Progenitors in the Mouse Embryo Using In Vivo and In Vitro Assays
Published on: June 9, 2015
Terminal differentiation of lymphocytes depends on Blimp-1
1The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract:
B lymphocyte induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp-1) has long been considered a master regulator of the terminal differentiation of B cells into antibody-secreting plasma cells. Gene-targeting experiments have now demonstrated that quantitative changes in Blimp-1 expression define plasma cell ontogeny--a process that requires the continual function of Blimp-1. Recently, new roles for Blimp-1 have been revealed, as a suppressor of diffuse large B cell lymphoma and as a key regulator of T-cell differentiation. Blimp-1 is expressed in differentiated effector T cells and controls their homeostasis. These new findings suggest that Blimp-1 has a conserved function in the final differentiation of both the cellular and the humoral arm of the adaptive immune response.
Related Concept Videos
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...
Lineage Commitment
Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Primary Lymphoid Organs
The red bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue nestled in the interior of long bones such as the humerus and femur. It is the site...

